Skipping heartbeats
by RedtailHawk19
Summary: This is an idea I've had kicking around in my head for along time. So instead of Vlad getting banished to live in space alone. I wanted to give him a different ending. This is an AU story, and my original character as Vlad's Daughter. I plan on rewriting season three on how I thought it should have gone. Parings canon. So read and enjoy. Revising story. Updated chapter one.
1. Prolog

**Skipping beats **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, just my OC and the plot. This is a revised version of my story dead inside. I didn't like the first version. **

**Anyway enjoy. **

**Prologue**

Sumiko's stomach churned, the pregnancy test stick almost dropped into the sink from her shaking fingers.

The two pink lines mocked her no matter how many times she shook it. The two pink lines wouldn't go away. It had been the same with the other two sticks.

It was official Sumiko Nao was pregnant. She sunk onto her fake porcelain tiled floor.

Panic was taking was taking over.

Sumiko flung the test stick away from her. She dropped down to the floor to curl up.

The twenty-five years old shook with silent sobs. How would she be able to go back home to her parents in Japan? They had sent her to America to study medicine. They would disown her if she came back pregnant with no father in sight.

Sumiko bit her lip.

She knew who the father was, the only one it could be. Vlad Masters.

**Chapter 1 **

Sumiko couldn't tear her ears away from the writhing young man strapped to the gurney. His screams filled with terror, and pain. He was attempting to claw at his face.

His face was horrible, covered in oozing green boils.

"Get him sedated!" yelled the lead E.M.T.

"We need to get him to a room ASAP!"

The man began to seize, he shuddered and moaned. He went still. His heart monitor flatlining. The noise haunted Sumiko.

"Shit!" the E.M.T. started unbuckling the man from the gurney. The E.M.T. pushed down on the patient's chest, starting CPR.

The E.M.T. grunt as he hit a wall. The patient sprang up, his eyes wild.

He panted with ragged breaths. The very air crackled with heat and something powerful.

"Stay away from me you MONSTER!" The young man with unnatural strength fought tooth and nail against the staff trying to sedate him.

He was yelling at the ceiling.

"Stay away from me! You can't have me, I'll die before I let you."

To Sumiko's and the rest of the staff's horror. The young man gouged his nails down his arm. Blood flowed.

Sumiko stood and took a breath.

She looked at the ceiling, she couldn't see anything but the young man could. She may not have followed her grandmother in hunting but she knew what a powerful presence felt like.

She reached into the supply closet. Her fingers closing over a handful of magnesium salt. It wouldn't hurt anything powerful. But it would make whatever was haunting this man go away.

She was cautious as she stepped towards the patient.

He whirled on her, baring his teeth.

Sumiko held out her hand.

"Do you see this salt?" Sumiko's voice was soothing.

The man's cold blue eyes glared at her.

He nodded.

"You have a monster haunting you. You throw this at and it will be gone for a while." she edged closer. The rest of the staff watched with baited breaths.

He looked at the ceiling again. Then back at her.

"He's only laughing at you." He fixed his eyes on Sumiko. Shivers went down her spine.

"Tell him I purified it." Sumiko tells the patient as she stares up at the right corner.

She felt a shift in the air.

She gritted her teeth and focus on the salt. She wished she had learned more about this sort of thing from grandmother before she died. She felt the salt on her hand resonate as she purified it.

She flung the salt at the unseen creature.

The inhuman howl that echoed in the hall lifted the heat, the feeling of despair.

The young man's eyes rolled into the back of his head. He collapsed on the floor.

"What the hell?" the E.M.T. looked between the two.

**This is a line break **

Sumiko sighed as she pushed food cart down the hall. Her coworkers twittering and gossiping as she turned the corner.

It had been two years since the incident with the man. She hadn't seen him since.

Her coworkers acted like she had the plague. They gave her all the worst jobs. With the excuse that she was the new girl. She hadn't been the new girl since she had worked here longer than any of them.

She scowled as she took the dirty food trays and dishes down to the kitchen.

Sumiko didn't fit in anywhere.

She didn't fit in back home with her family.

Her father's side of the family thought she should already be married with children.

Her mother's side of the family thought she should have become a miko and done her duty protecting people from the unseen.

So she ran away to America to a nursing program.

But now the unseen problem had followed her. Ghosts of all kinds coming to bother her. She had to numb herself with special pills to stop from hearing them or seeing them.

Sumiko straighten her back.

She could get through this. She was going to be a successful nurse and she wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way.

Sumiko finished out the day with a smile on her face.

She pulled on her coat.

"Hey Miss Nao!" Dr. Xander yelled running to catch up with her.

Sumiko stopped and waited for the Doctor to reach her.

He held a up a finger as he panted.

"Miss Nao, you are my only hope." He looked at her with pleading eyes.

Sumiko quirked an eyebrow.

"Really?" she drawled.

He nodded solemnly.

"The patient you were able to calm down a few months ago."

"What about him?" Sumiko folded her arms over her chest.

Dr. Xander sighed and pulled off his bottle cap glasses to clean them on his shirt.

"He has been here for two years now with no signs improvement. He has had no visitors to be befuddlement. Not one, not even his parents. They pay the bills but refuse to come see their son." He paused to put his glasses back on.

"The boils have healed over, but he still has delusions, hallucinations. And he is isolated not even the staff will stay longer then they have to-" Sumiko cut him him off.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Dr. Xander fidgeted.

"Well I am hoping you could become his nurse and help me with him."

Sumiko pursed her lips.

She didn't want to mess around with whatever was haunting the patient. But she flashed back to his tortured screams.

"Okay, yeah, fine I'll do it."

Dr. Xander beamed at her.

"I'll see you in the morning, Miss Nao."

Sumiko groaned and rubbed her temples.

"Why did I say yes?"

**This is a line break. **

"Hello Vladimir, I brought you a new nurse." Dr. Xander clapped his hands together cheerfully. The patient didn't respond to this. He just stared out the window with dead eyes. Sumiko glanced around at the hospital room. It was barren, the walls were a blinding white. No personal items, no get well cards, just nothing but the man in the room.

It was sad, depressing. No wonder the guy was comatose. Sumiko narrowed her eyes at him. No it wasn't just that. He had no energy, was that thing haunting him also feeding off him? She looked closer at the young man. His hair was very light gray, his pale skin was gaunt, his dark circles had circles from lack of rest. He was too skinny not eating enough. He had aura of misery.

Dr. Xander sighed.

"Miss Nao will you check his vitals and settle things here. I have more patients to see."

She told him yes.

Sumiko blinked at his vitals.

He had a fever of 106 and was still functioning. His heart rate was 42, by all accounts Vladimir should be dead but he was still breathing. Something was very wrong with this man and it wasn't the fact he had a demon after him. No it was the fact he was half-dead. Her instincts shrieked at her to ran away and never look back at this freak of nature.

But something stopped her. It was the pain filled look of loneliness that made her hesitate. She knew that look, she saw it in her mirror when she looked into it late at night.

So she sat down in the chair next to his bed. They sat in silence.

Sumiko didn't have anything else to do. Dr. Xander made Vlad her sole responsibility.

She grabbed the remote to the tv.

She flipped it on and surfed the channels.

Vlad twitched the first sign of life she saw from him. She was disappointed when he remained lifeless for the rest of the day.

She stood up.

"See you tomorrow."

**This is a line break. **

Sumiko had taken to chattering endlessly to the unresponsive young man.

Two weeks and not one word from him. But he did seem healthier after she put up paper seals around his room.

"You wouldn't believe what she said to me.

She said I'm surprised you speak English so well." Sumiko complained at Vlad.

"Why are people so racist? I mean just because I'm a foreigner. Doesn't mean I'm stupid." The nurse continued to rant as she cleaned his room.

"Why are you doing this?" Sumiko's jaw dropped as she stopped talking registering the male voice.

"What do you mean?" Sumiko raises her eyebrows. She hoped she didn't say something that would stop him talking.

"Why are you still here? Aren't you frightened of catching whatever it is I have?" Vlad glares at her with bitterness.

"If I was going to catch it, by now I would be showing symptoms already. And I think I like your company. You let me talk all I want." Sumiko winks at him.

Vlad stared at her blankly.

"So Vlad, may I call you Vlad? I think we're past last names by now. Do you like books? I noticed the one I left here last time has gone missing." Sumiko says ignoring how Vlad sputters at being called by his first name.

He recovers quickly however.

"Yes I do indeed. You can have it back. I'm sorry I took it without permission."

Sumiko shrugged.

"What kind of books? Mysteries? Horror? Romance? Comedy? Comics? Non-fiction? The classics?" Sumiko leans forward.

"I prefer sci-fiction, non-fiction, horror, mysteries, and never romance." Vlad says romance like it is the most disgusting thing in the world.

"Great, I'll bring you some books tomorrow then." Sumiko left feeling giddy she got him to crack.

**This is a line break. **

Sumiko reflected at how much the patient had improved. He willingly ate his food. He was sleeping the whole night. He was talking with her now.

"I can't believe you don't like animation. It a beautiful medium." Sumiko rolls her eyes.

"It's for children." Vlad said in a snooty tone. "Whatever you'll to like it." Sumiko grinned as she produced two boxsets of her favorite animes.

Vlad hid a smile.

**This is a line break. **

Vlad glared at a photo of him and two people. A girl and a big young man who towered over them in the picture.

Sumiko had seen the two in the lobby once or twice. Not for a long time now. She supposed they had given up.

Vlad's case worker denied them visiting the young man. Sumiko hated the case worker. He was a creepy, and Vlad tensed up when they had sessions.

"Do you want to sneak out with me?" Sumiko blurted out, her faint Japanese accent coming out.

Vlad look up at her.

"I just have noticed you don't have much time outside. So I thought we could go, no one will notice. That creepy caseworker can't kept you in here forever." Sumiko handed Vlad a box of books and comics, she brought for hesitatingly took the box. His fingers ghosted over the books. He set them on his bedside table.

"Thank you." He murmured.

"It would be wonderful to get out of this room."

Sumiko stole a coworker's extra clothes. She waited outside the bathroom for Vlad to change. She wolf whistled to Vlad's embarrassment.

"Looking good, finally got some meat on those bones." she slapped his shoulder lightly. The nurse's grin turned into a smirk.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

They snuck out of the hospital to Sumiko's car.

Vlad soaked in the sunlight.

"I never thought I would miss the sun so much." He stretched out in the front seat.

"Where do you want to go?" Sumiko turned her car on.

Vlad's stomach growled.

"I want junk food." He admitted with grin.

Sumiko grinned back.

They drove around.

Vlad enjoying the freedom.

Sumiko parked the car overlooking the town.

"The stars are so clear and bright here." she leaned against the windshield.

Vlad sat beside her.

"I used to climb up to the roof of my house when I was kid and look up at the stars."

They sat looking up at the stars in comfortable silence.

Vlad took her hand.

"Thank you Sumiko." He kissed her hand.

Sumiko felt her heart pound, and her face flushed.

"We should get back." They both say.

**This is a line break. **

Vlad had packed his one bag and he had left the hospital for good, two months ago. Sumiko missed him. Finally getting a clean bill of health, he ran out of the hospital and never looked back. Sumiko handed in her resignation to her boss.

She drove to Brown Bear Diner.

She slid into the booth. Vlad looked up in surprise. Sumiko lean on her hands, she smiled at him.

"Hey." The young woman greets.

Vlad blinked.

"Hey."

The waiter sets down two glasses of water.

Vlad frowned at her.

"Why are you here?" He sounded confused. Sumiko ordered an omelet.

"So, I'm looking for a roommate. I thought of you."

Vlad looked taken aback.

"Roommate?"

Sumiko chuckled.

"Just come live with me, I quit my job at the hospital. I got a job at another clinic. But the pay isn't as good so I had to move."

He swallowed.

"I don't know what to say."

She reached across the table, and gripped his hand.

"Say yes." Her brown eyes met his blue ones. He squeezed her hand. Vlad gave her a smile that made her heart flutter.

"Okay."

They drove to Vlad's dump of a studio. It didn't take long to pack his things up.

They unpacked the boxes. Vlad put up his horde of Packer football merchandise up in her apartment.

"You have literally covered my house in the stuff Vlad. I understand you love the Packers but pick four things to keep up and put the rest away." Sumiko laughed, her eyes crinkling.

Vlad blushed.

"I love the green bay packers, but four things is a compromise."

Sumiko shook her head fondly.

They settled into living together easily.

A fights over leaving the microwave door open, or dishes. But all in all Sumiko was very happy. She should have known it wouldn't last.

**This is a line break. **

Sumiko set her things on their coffee table, they had bought it together a year ago.

"Vlad?" She called taking off her jacket and setting the Indian food take out on the table. "Vlad? I'm home." She tried again.

No answer the apartment was silent.

Her warding papers were ripped.

Hot breath hit the back of her neck.

"He's mine now." A raspy voice chuckled darkly.

Sumiko whirled around. Nothing was there.

"I don't know what you want with Vlad. But you can't have him." She snarled.

The thing snorted.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Sumiko bit her lip. She wished she had paid more attention to her grandmother about demons.

"You were the one person I couldn't drive away. I drove away his parents, his friends. But not you." The thing flashed it's sharp teeth at her.

"No matter, after I kill you. Vlad will have no one left to turn to but me. I'll be free to mold him however I want." The thing gloated.

It stepped from the shadows.

Sumiko recoiled at the sight.

Two horns protruding from its forehead, it's eyes were a black void like the night sky. It's skin was a dark brownish red, his fork tongue dipped out of his mouth to taste her fear. His long oil slicked back hair hung down his back like it was a cape of black fire. It looked like flames of smoke. His ears were sharp and pointed.

He looked like something from a nightmare.

He flared his power. Sumiko fell to her knees frozen and unable to move. Her eyes wide with horror. He drew his broadsword hanging from his hip with a nasty grin.

"Say goodbye Human." He swung the sword. Sumiko helpless and unable to move. White light blocked it.

Sumiko closed her eyes from the brightness. The creature hissed.

"Stay away from my granddaughter." Sumiko blinked in disbelief at the glowing ethereal form of her grandmother floating in front of her. The old woman wore her favorite kimono in life. It was white with silver swirls and little birds sewn on it. The obi a pale blue.

"Grandma Tatsuki? What the hell is going on?!" Sumiko exhaled.

"Be quiet you silly child." Her grandmother hissed.

"You think you can stop me? I am a demon, I am thousands of years old. I am the great Azar." The demon looked furious at interruption.

He snapped his fingers.

Another thing materialize in Sumiko's living room. Sumiko gasped putting her hands over her mouth. She almost didn't recognize Vlad. His skin was a pale blue, his eyes completely a solid blood red, his hair was black and spiked up to resemble horns. He wore white clothes.

Her grandmother clicked her tongue.

"Poor boy, what have you done to him?"

The demon grinned.

"I have remade him into my own image. He will be my heir. I am going to rule, I will take my half-brother's throne for my own."

Her grandmother narrowed her eyes at him. Her white shield never wavering.

"Pariah Dark's throne." She muttered.

"If you hadn't tried to kill my granddaughter I would have left you alone to plot your revenge in peace. But you did try to kill my granddaughter and now you have to pay for it."

Azar turned to Vlad.

"Plasmius, take the old woman out then break that one's neck." Azar pointed at the two of them.

"Yes, master." Vlad mumbled out in dull tones. Sumiko clenched her fists.

Azar was controlling Vlad.

Her grandmother stood in front of her.

She gathered energy to herself and then released it. Vlad dropped to the floor. Black rings forming around his middle.

He was human again. Vlad was out cold.

Azar growled.

"Fine, no matter. I will take care of you myself." Azar lunged for Tatsuki. They passed through the wall.

Sumiko rushed to Vlad's side.

He looked horrible. Vlad had dark circles under his eyes, he was bleeding. Sumiko was horrified to see a bite mark on his shoulder. What had she gotten into? She knew Vlad had some ties to the world of the dead but she never imagined this.

Sumiko dragged Vlad to their bed.

He didn't even stir when Sumiko hit his head on the bed post on accident.

The loud crash outside reminded that her dead grandmother was having a battle royal with the demon outside.

She peaked out of her windows.

It was terrifying and beautiful to watch the two battle. Her grandmother was powerful, but Azar was stronger. Sumiko screamed when Azar sunk his teeth into her grandmother's neck. Green liquid flowed from the wound. Azar lapped at it.

"Delicious." His black eyes turned on Sumiko.

Her grandmother Tatsuki weakly whispered. "Run."

Azar dropped Tatsuki, she hit the ground. He flew towards Sumiko. He went through the wall. His hands wrapped around her throat. He leered at her.

He ran a finger down her cheek.

"If only you were a ghost or spirit, or even a shade. You would be so much more appetizing to eat." Sumiko panicked, she kicked and struggled against his hold.

"Azar." Both turned to look at the sound of the voice.

"Time out!" Everything froze.

Sumiko gasped as the strange cloaked thing put a necklace around her neck.

"There isn't much time. I am known as Clockwork. Take this." He handed her a glowing green paper with unreadable red letters.

"Slap this on his chest and I will be able to overpower him."

Sumiko nodded. She took the paper from him. Clockwork pressed a button down on his staff. Sumiko slammed the paper onto Azar's chest. Azar coughed and let go of her. Green energy wrapped around him, forming chains.

"You!" Azar roared.

"Yes, me." Clockwork shrugged.

Azar fumed.

"This won't stop me! My plans are already in motion!"

Clockwork narrowed his solid red eyes.

"You will fail no matter what you do. You will not reclaim the throne. You will never have an heir."

Azar lunged Tatsuki kicked him into the wall. She had wrapped her throat with a piece of cloth she ripped from her sleeve.

Tatsuki held no remorse as she gripped Azar by the hair and sewed his lips together.

Sumiko cringed. The green blood dripped onto Tatsuki's fingers.

"Try to use your devil charm now." Tatsuki hissed. She kicked Azar again.

"What are you going to with him?" Sumiko blurted drawing everyone's attention.

"We are putting him in the pit to rot." Tatsuki croaked.

Clockwork nodded in agreement.

Tatsuki dropped Azar and floated over to her granddaughter.

"You should stay away from that boy." Tatsuki inclined her head to the bedroom Vlad was occupying.

"Azar has already sunk his claws into him. He's rotting now, foolish boy. He will only bring you heartache."

"I love him!" Sumiko exclaimed.

Tatsuki shrugged.

"Don't say I never warned you. I'll take back this trash." The small old woman heaved the demon onto her shoulder and they vanished.

Sumiko turned to look at Clockwork.

"Do you know how I can help Vlad?"

"The only one who can save Vladimir is himself. You can't help someone that doesn't want help." With those words said the time ghost disappeared as well.

Sumiko with shaking hands cleaned up their apartment.

**This is a line break. **

Vlad had changed. He seemed unaware that Sumiko knew his secret.

The half dead man seemed to have recovered from whatever Azar did to him. Vlad was confident, and seemed happy. What ever had happened to him, had gone away. Perhaps being free of Azar was good for him.

Vlad was getting ready for work. Sumiko wrapped her arms around him. She rested her head in the nook of his shoulder.

"I look like an old man, I'm going to start dying it back to Black." Vlad glared at his image in the mirror. He tugged on his offending hair.

Sumiko kissed his cheek.

"I think it makes you look regal. White hair makes you look mature, I love it."

Vlad blushed at her words.

"You really think so?" He says doubtfully.

"Yes, I really do." Sumiko kissed him on the lips this time.

"I love you." Vlad kissed Sumiko lifting her onto the counter.

Vlad was late to dinner by four days. The frazzled Sumiko sat at their dining room table. The phone still in her hand.

The police had dismissed her worries. Joking in the background of the call, what man wouldn't want to ran away from such a clingy girlfriend.

She knew something was wrong, she knew that Vlad would have called her if something came up. He didn't, the secrets were becoming so hard to take.

The door opened and Vlad staggered into the apartment.

Sumiko screamed.

"Vlad! What in god's name happened to you? You look like you got into a fight with a pack of rabid wolves." Sumiko rushed him into the bathroom to clean and bandaged his wounds.

Vlad was silent as she treated him. She gasped at the y section cuts on his chest.

"Why won't you let me in?" she cried for him.

Sumiko waited for him to speak.

He only grabbed her tightly and hugged her to his chest.

They went to bed.

Sumiko had tried getting answers out of Vlad but he stayed silent on the subject. He was waking up in the middle of the night with extremely bad night terrors.

All of the work he and Sumiko had put into to helping him, was for nothing. He had was just as bad as he had been in the hospital. It was when the letter came that everything fell apart. And nothing could put it back together.

It was baby announcement of one Daniel Vladimir Fenton. Son of Madeleine, and Jack Fenton. Vlad's face paled and then his eyes grew in rage. He tore up their apartment.

He burned the invitation.

And then he sobbed broken hearted into Sumiko's arms. She stroked his hair soothingly and held him. Of course when she asked she didn't get any answers to her questions. Vlad was becoming more and more withdraw from her. They fought, he won't tell her, share anything with her anymore. He was shutting her out and she didn't even know why.

Then Sumiko found the picture of his old college days.

It all made sense to her now. All though he had never mentioned them by name. Vlad had before the baby announcement had spoken fondly of his two college friends. Sumiko couldn't stop the burning feeling of envy in her chest.

This Maddie woman, was the one Vlad had talked about back in the hospital. The one who he loved. Things got worse, they snapped at each other. All of their once lovingly healthy relationship had crumbled.

Sumiko wasn't ready to give up yet, so she had cooked Vlad's favorite food. And they had a lovely night reconnecting in the bedroom.

The morning after however was a war zone. It had started innocently enough.

"Vlad?" Sumiko asked her head resting on Vlad's bare chest.

"Yes dear?" Vlad was calmer than he had been in months.

"What do you think of marriage and children?" Sumiko rubbed Vlad's chest soothingly.

Vlad tensed, his face tighten.

"Sumiko, we've talked about this."

"Vlad, we have been dating for four years now. And we are live together now. I love you, I want to be with you. I want us to be happy together. We could have a family." Sumiko was pleading with him.

"No! I do not want to bring any child into this world." Vlad shot off the bed.

Sumiko's face and voice harden. Her expression thunderous.

"You don't want children or you don't want them with me?"

Vlad is silent.

Sumiko can feel her heart breaks into pieces. She is so angry and hurt she can't stop herself from throwing the barbed words at Vlad.

"I see, still mooning over that married mother, Maddie Fenton. She's never going to leave her perfect husband and her children for you! God! What is wrong with you? You realize she's pregnant again don't you?" She screamed at him.

"Don't bring Madeleine into this." Vlad warns.

"Why not? She's all you ever seem to think about these days. You seem to be under the delusion that she's going to fall in love with you. She's married, Vlad! She has a child with Jack Fenton. She doesn't love you!" Sumiko stops at the dangerous look on Vlad's face.

"Vlad, I love you. I do, but I can't be with you if don't feel the same way. She is married Vlad! I'm here, I love you. But I'm starting to wonder why." Sumiko choked words were soft.

Vlad stiffens.

"If that is the way you feel, then . . ."

Vlad takes a deep calming breath.

"Then I don't love you. I love Maddie I always have. You . . . You were just a replacement."

Sumiko reels back like she was physically slapped.

"Is this really what you want? To chase after a married woman for the rest of your life?" Sumiko's voice is brittle.

"I love Maddie and I won't stop until I rescue her from that fool, Jack Fenton."

Sumiko stands up pulling on her clothes. Throwing everything she could of hers into a bag.

"I'm moving out."

And that was that.

Now she was pregnant and the baby was Vlad's. Sumiko had to tell him, they need to figure out what they were going to do.

Tatsuki materialize in front of the mirror.

"I told you that boy was heartbreak."

Sumiko jumped up.

"Grandma!"

"What sort of grandma would I be if I didn't come support my granddaughter, Kami-sama knows your parents won't." Tatsuki shook her head.

Sumiko looked at the ground.

"I need to go tell Vlad."

"Won't make much of a difference, Azar's influence is wormed it's way into his heart.h

He is a fool." Tatsuki tells her.

"I have to try." Sumiko says stubbornly.

Sumiko stood up, gathering up her purse and headed out the door.

**This is a line break.**

Vlad sat in his new office. He was quite proud of it. He finally worked up the nerve to over shadow his boss into giving him a promotion. _He can't believe he was so afraid of doing it. Azar had been right about one thing. The weak are meat and the strong do eat. Vlad was not going to be weak. _He fingered his red bow tie. Admiring his new suit. He looked important, powerful. _No one would ever lord over Vladimir Masters again. Not Azar, not any ghost, not even . . . Sumiko. Yes, he was finally getting the hang of the dreadful ghost powers. How could he have been so afraid of them? He had complete control over them now. Now he could start his money schemes. Collect his power slowly. _

_Yes, _Vlad thought to himself. _Things were finally going his way for once._

A knock shook him out of his inner thoughts.

"Mr. Masters?" Came the timid voice of his secretary.

"Yes?" Vlad answered back.

"There's a Ms. Nao, here to see you should I let her in?" The secretary asks.

Vlad sits back in shock. _Sumiko was here to see him? Why? _He filched with guilt at the thought of her. _He hadn't treated her very well. He loved his Maddie of course, but sometimes he caught himself thinking about her._

"Yes, send her in." He ordered.

The door opened and Sumiko walked in. She was still beautiful, her long black hair, warm brown eyes. His heart skipped a beat. He ever the gentlemen stood up and pulled out a chair for her.

Sumiko sat down gracefully into it.

Vlad started to sweat. _What did she want?_

"Vlad, I'm pregnant." Her words shot through him. _Pregnant? _The word bounced violently around in his head.

"What?" Vlad gaped at her. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest.

"I'm pregnant and it's yours." She repeated slowly.

"I . . . What? I-I . . . I can't be." Vlad stuttered. _She must be lying, she must be. There is no way it was his. His Ghost DNA would make having any children impossible. And if he did, what if it was a still born? Or a monster? No it can't be his. It can not be his._

"It isn't mine." Vlad sits up straighter.

"Vlad, you're the only one I've been with these past four years. It's yours." Sumiko looks very tired.

"It's not mine. Sumiko I must say I am very disappointed with you. We both agreed to end it." Vlad fixes his tie not looking at her, _Then he might falter if he did._

"What!? You think this is some stupid ploy to get back with you?! What sort of person do think I am?" Sumiko's voice is rising in pitch.

"Vladimir Daniel Masters I assure you the only reason I came here today was to tell you have a child. I would never enter into a one-sided relationship with you ever again." Sumiko's face was red with fury.

"I thought you would like to know that you have a child. And stop looking at me like I'm crazy. It has half of your DNA. I didn't make it by myself. It takes to two tango."

"Well, you're not going to keep it if it is real? Are you?" Vlad struggles to keep calm.

"That's what I came here. To talk with you about this." She yelled at him.

"We need to talk about our options!"

"Get rid of it, Abort it. I don't care!" Vlad doesn't want to deal with this. He rubbed his temples tiredly.

"Get rid of it? That what you want me to do! God! For once I'd wish you'd just talk with me. Did it ever occur to you that I might want a baby? Good bye Vlad. It was a mistake coming here." Sumiko got up and stormed out the door. She paused at the door. She turns back to look at him.

"This is the last time I'll ever contact you, Vlad. I hope you have a happy life by yourself." And then she slammed the door behind her.

Vlad fell back into his seat.

"She was lying." He muttered to himself.

"A child?"

He shook his head, _no Vlad Masters would not be having any children now or ever._

**Nine months later. **

"Ma'ma who are you going to put down as the father?" The nurse stared at her disapprovingly. Her grandmother was cooing invisible to the nurse over her new great grandbaby.

Sumiko stared down at her beautiful new baby girl.

_Her little Kimiko._

"Her father's name is Vladimir Daniel Masters." Sumiko smiled softly at her baby.

"I see." The nurse says in a disbelieving tone.

_Vlad had become so successful, it was almost supernatural how fast he gained money. No doubt he used his powers to do it. _Sumiko snorted. Sumiko was very happy to leave the hospital. The first week home was nice, Sumiko's grandmother volunteered to help the new mother with the new baby. Sumiko was glad for the help. Her own parents had disowned her, staying in America. Having a child out of wedlock. Having help was nice.

It was four months when Sumiko and Tatsuki noticed the strange things.

Lights flickering, things moving, Kimiko laughing or crying at thing that weren't there.

Kimiko giggled as she fell through her bed to the ground.

"Sumiko, I'm telling you. She has inherited her father's powers." The old woman insisted.

"But she hasn't done anything like Vlad. He could change his appearance and all those other things. Are you sure?" Sumiko looked haggard from restless nights.

"Your daughter is like a beacon to the spirit world. She draws them to her. But she is drawing good and bad to her." Tatsuki lectures.

"I have heard of people being this attuned to the spirit world, myself once included. But never have I seen it to this degree."

"What can I do to protect her? I was never much good at our family business. . ." Sumiko trained off.

_Her family business of putting ghosts to rest._

"Okay grandmother, what should we do?"

"Your daughter is part of the spirit world. Draws it to her, like a light to moths." Tatsuki says to Sumiko.

"She will talk to the dead, see the dead, she already has one foot into the spirit world. Her father is like her. I will seal her power to hide her from bad things, it will keep her and you safe." Tatsuki hands the baby back to her mother.

"Grandmother, thank you for your help I am very grateful." Sumiko bows her head in thanks.

Tatsuki worked on the house and Kimiko for many days. Until it was finished.

"I will go now. Good luck Sumiko with your daughter. Make sure if the seal I put on her fades you need to contact me. Kimiko is very special." Sumiko sat up alarmed. "Grandmother, why do you make sound as if your leaving?"

Tatsuki avoided her eyes.

"I am need back in the dead zone."

Kimiko began to cry. Sumiko swallowed down her panic.

"But I need you here. I need help."

Tatsuki floated over to Kimiko.

"The seal I put on her should hide her and keep her from her powers. I will return to renew it on her tenth birthday." she placed her great-granddaughter back in her crib.

She turned back to her granddaughter.

"You are strong Sumiko. I have faith in you." then she vanished from site.

**End of chapter 1 **


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1****  
****Disclaimer: My story takes place in season three after Eye for an eye, and is AU. I only own my O.C.s nothing else. I'm not making any money off of this just having fun messing with cannon and timeline.**

**So enjoy and review.**

**Chapter 1**

Kimiko Nao was sweating embarrassingly like a pig. It was strange because it was freezing in the school. But here she was drenched in sweat like she was in the Nevada dessert. She sat in the back of the classroom out of everyone's way. Or rather everyone avoid the back to stay out her way.  
Kimiko preferred the latter.  
It made her feel some what better. Kimiko rested her head on her hand, trying to not fall asleep. The boring teacher lecturing the class about, dissection.  
Her teacher was way too excited talking about cutting open dead rabbits. And they called her creepy.  
The science teacher was the real creep of the school, not her. Kimiko turned her head to stare out the window. And fell over in fright.  
Kimiko saw a ghost in the window.  
Kimiko felt her heart beat out of control. It wasn't the ghost part that had scared her. No, Kimiko was no stranger to things belonging to realm of the dead. It was the appearance of the ghost, it's mouth was sown shut. The lips stretched against the metal string holding then in place. The teacher had fallen silent. The entire class watch as she pick herself off the ground with mixtures of smirks, and glares.  
"Miss Nao, is there a problem?" He raised an eye brow.  
"Umm, no sir. I just thought I saw my rabbit twitch. But it was just my elbow hitting the glass." Kimiko lied.  
The teacher rolled his eyes and began to talk again.  
"Miss Nao, do be careful with the rabbits, they weren't cheap."  
Sandy Carmichael whispered something to her friends. They sent snickers in her direction.  
Kimiko ignored them, she had more important things on her mind.  
She tried to picture what the ghost had looked like but it had only been there for a flash. It was like trying to catch smoke, every time she thought she got it. It slipped away.  
Kimiko sighed and tuned back into what Mr. Gary was droning on about.  
"And remember class, I want that three page report on different ways to cut before you can do a dissection. You have to cut just right, dissection is like an art form." Mr. Gary crooned as he picked up a scalpel. Then shook his head and set the sharp tool back down.  
"Get packed up, the bell is going to ring soon."  
Kimiko scrunched up her nose.  
This guy was the science teacher and she was still the school freak? How did that means sense?  
She pitted anything that ended up on his dissection table.  
Kimiko gathered up her things stuffing them into her backpack.  
The bell ringing.  
Kids rushing out of the classroom to head for lunch. Kimiko made her way out of the classroom.  
A hand shoved her chest, as Kimiko walked out of the class room.  
Kimiko rubbed the affronted area.  
"What Sandy?" She glared at the rude girl.  
"I bet you just love that we're having a dissection class huh?" Sandy smirked.  
"You and Mr. Gary should marry, then you could both be creepy together." Sandy had gained an audience, students crowded around snickering.  
"You are so immature Sandy. Just leave me alone." Kimiko scoffs at the petty girl.  
"You think you so cool, don't you? Think you're better then any of us." Sandy spat.  
"I mean what a freak! She's like a robot she never reacts to anything I do." She turns to the crowd of peers.  
"She's not a robot, she's zombie. The living dead girl." A boy jeered.  
Other students picked up on joined in.  
"I want to see her lose it." One of Sandy's friends puts a hand on her hip.  
"Hey, Freak! I bet you only kiss corpses! Because no live boy would come with in twenty feet from you."  
Laughter rang out.  
Kimiko struggled to keep her cool. She couldn't lose it.  
"Your mom's a slut! My mom said so." Sandy called out above the laughter.  
The crowd ohhed. Looking eagerly at Kimiko. Who's lips had curled with rage.  
"My mom said her mom sleeps with all of the doctors at the hospital. That's why she got a raise." Sandy enjoyed the snickers she got from her classmates.  
Mr. Gray exited his classroom  
Letting out an annoyed huff, but only hung back observing the ring of students like one would a pack of animals.  
"I bet your dad took one look at you and dropped dead. Cause you sucked out his soul." Sandy waved her hands spookily and lowered her voice.  
Kimiko started forward her vision red. Screw the consequences, Sandy was so dead. A foot was stuck in front of her and she tumbled to the ground. Kimiko's backpack spitting out her things.  
Mr. Gary checked his watch.  
Kimiko tackled Sandy to the ground fast and gripped the girl's arm in her hand. A sickening crack sounded.  
The hallway went quiet.  
Kimiko was hit by Sandy who was bawling. Kimiko hit Sandy's face over and over again.  
Mr. Grey now jumped to action shoving Kimiko off the other girl.  
Kimiko let out a yelp as Mr. Grey grabbed her by the ear and dragged her to the principal's office.  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko sat hunched on a chair outside of the principal's office. She held an ice bag to her brusied eye. Scowling at the wall, the raised voices could be heard even through the thick uwalls of the princpal's office. Kimiko hated this school, she hated the classes, the kids, the staff. It sucked, but it was the last school in the area that she had not been kicked out of.  
"I don't care! I have had enough with your freak of a daughter! I want her out of my school." Principal Jones shouted. Kimiko sighed, make that the last school in the area she had been kicked out of. Kimiko shifted guiltly in her hard seat. She shouldn't have lost her temper and broken Sandy's arm. And punched her in the face, and crack a rib. The insults were the same ones she'd been hearing her entire life by anyone who wasn't family. Freak, loser, living dead girl, casper, werido, creepy bitch, to name only a few. Kimiko supposed though, that one could only go so long with out fighting back. And she had fought back rather well, until she was shoved into a wall by a teacher and dragged by the ear to the fat balding princpal's office. Mr. Grey was such a jerk, he didn't even do anything against the other kids.  
"If you and the other teachers enforced the bullying policy for my daughter. Then we wouldn't be having any of this." Sumiko shouted back.  
"My daughter is different, but that doesn't give any one in this school the right to call her names or hit her."  
"She scares the other students, and the teachers. Your daughter isn't welcome here anymore I'm expelling her." Principal Jone's snarled.  
"You can't do that!" Sumiko fumed.  
"I just did, good day Ms. Nao." The door opened and slammed shut as Sumiko stormed out.  
"Come on baby, we're leaving." Sumiko was shaking with furious indignation at the treatment of her daughter.  
Kimiko stood up slinging her backpack over her shoulder her icy blue eyes glaring at Principal Jones threw his office window. Jones paled and quickly drew his curtains to hide from the girl's unatural stare. He shivered remembering what the freak of girl had said to him that afternoon.  
"You really should lay off the junk food, Principal Jones. It's clogging up your arteries and you're going to have a heart attack in two weeks. If you go to the doctor today, you might even save your life." Kimiko had said it in a flat tone. Jones shuttered, that girl's mother could say whatever she wanted, nothing changed the fact that Kimiko Nao was the most frighting child he had ever had the displeasure of meeting.  
"Thank the Lord, that demon brat is out of my school," Jones crossed himself.  
Kimiko followed her mother out to their car, climbing in with a depressing silence that hung in the air around her. Sumiko glanced at her daughter's sinking mood. She couldn't let Kimiko drown in her emotion.  
"Hey sweetie, it wasn't your fault. Those people are just . . . stupid and ignorant. What happened?" Her Mom fretted at Kimiko.  
"Some kids at school we're messing with me so I messed back." Kimiko saw no point in lying to her mother.  
"I just snapped, the teacher's were just standing there. While the other kids ruined my stuff and called you a slut. They said my dad was dead because I killed him at brith. Then Sandy shoved me into a locker and punched me in the face. So I snapped her arm and I think gave her a concussion."  
"Oh, honey I'm sorry. People can be cruel when they're afraid. I should have home schooled you from the begining, I'll find the money somewhere I promise." Her mom, reached for Kimiko's hand.  
"I know they're mean and they try to make you loose your tempter but you need to remember that you can't let those morons get to you. You're a great kid and its their lost. Okay?"  
"Yeah, well I . . . S-sometimes the things they say hurt. And I want to hurt them back." Kimiko balls her hands into fists.  
"And what would I say about what happened today?" Her mother gently unfolds her daughter's hand and interlocks their fingers.  
"That they weren't worth it. And I should let it their words bounce off of me. And that the only person's opinion that matters about me is mine." She mutters.  
"It's just hard sometimes."Sumiko looked worriedly at her fourteen year old daughter.  
"I didn't even do anything. Old man Jones has just been waiting for an excuse to get rid of me. I just kept to myself and stayed out of the way. Until today, I haven't gotten into trouble. And I did it again, I just knew how and when Princpal Jones was gonna die. So I warned him about how he was going to die. He's a jerk but he doesn't deserve to die. But look where it got me?" Kim's eyes filled with tears.  
"It's not fair! I have to hide myself and they get to do and say anything to me. I hate them! I hate them all."  
Sumiko looked sadly at her daughter.  
"I'm sorry sweetie. I love you no matter what. And I know you don't want to be home schooled. Because of money issues, but we should do what's best for you. And going to schools where its hostile to you just isn't working anymore."  
"Great now I'm an even bigger freak. Home school werido." Kim groaned.  
Sumiko sighed.  
"You are not a freak sweetie, you are a very special young lady."  
"I don't feel very special. I just wish I was like everybody else sometimes, especially right now." Kimiko sniffed.  
"You're normal mom, you just don't understand what its like." Kimiko buried her head in her hands.  
"I know Honey, but I'm trying." Sumiko drove them home.  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko flung her self onto her bed.  
She turned herself over. She supposed being home school wouldn't be so bad. She could research more on the supernatural.  
And research the town of amity park.  
Kimiko had been begging her mother for months to move them to the haunted town.  
But her mother had always tensed up, shaking her head.  
"No Kim, we can't." Sumiko would dodge the request.  
"I can't just transfer, and I only just paid off the down payment of our house."  
Kimiko would pout but drop the subject until she had to ask again.  
Kimiko just couldn't fathom why her mother always said no. Moving to Amity Park would be like a dream come true. It was a ghost hotspot, and it had ectoplasmic ghosts. Kimiko got up off her bed sitting down at her desk. Covered with articles, printed out pictures of creatures, dusty book on anything arcane.  
Her laptop sat in the middle.  
Kimiko turned it on. Opening her browser to the Amity News page.  
It was an article about the ghost boy, Phantom. How to explain Kimiko's fascination with this ghost?  
Kimiko was by no means an expert on the subject of ghosts, but she was pretty close.  
Phantom was strange, unlike any ghost she had ever heard of. The only one who was even close to Phantom was the elusive Wisconsin ghost. Any ghosts she had met spoke Phantom's name with reverence and spoke of the Wisconsin ghost with fear.  
Plus the Fenton family lived there. The forerunners of Ghost study.  
Kimiko had even heard whispers from her dead friends that. The Fenton's had opened a portal to the lost realm.  
Kimiko had asked her friend Joey Morris a dead mobster what the lost realm was before she had helped him move on.  
"It's like this kid." His jersey accent was a strong tenor.  
"The lost realm is where all of the ghost who don't have anywhere to go get stuck in. I'm going to heaven cause I believe that's where I'm going."  
"So any ghost who doesn't move on to where ever they're suppose to go, gets stuck in this lost zone?" Kimiko frowned.  
Joey nodded.  
"Yep."  
Kimiko shook herself out of her memories. Maybe it was naive but Kimiko had a childish hope that if she lived in Amity Park she wouldn't be such a freak. Things would be different.  
Kimiko scrolled down the page on her computer. Reading about the newly elected mayor, Vladimir Masters. Vlad Masters, a successful business man, who a very select few accused of fowl play. He had become a business typhoon over night.  
A knock at her door.  
"Sweetie time for dinner." Sumiko called softly.  
Kimiko exited out of her browser.  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko had cleaned off her plate, she was tempted to lick her plate. Her mother had made a good dish of salmon.  
"So Amity Park got a new mayor." Kimiko says slyly.  
Her mother sighed.  
"Who was it?"  
"Some rich guy named Vlad Masters." Kimiko shrugged.  
"And Phantom stopped this ghost from turning the town into man eating zombies."  
Kimiko picked her plate up walking to the kitchen. Sumiko stiffen at the mention of Vlad Masters. Sumiko tried to not let her pain show at that-that man's name. Kimiko would not be meeting Vlad anytime soon. Not when he was still pining for Maddie Fenton.  
Kimiko returned from sticking her dish in the dish washer.  
"Mom? Are you okay?"  
Sumiko put a smile on her face.  
"Find dear, just fine."  
Kimiko yawned.  
"I'm beat."  
"Get some rest Kimiko I know this was a hard day for you." Sumiko sat up from her chair to hug daughter.  
Kimiko. Sumiko kissed the top of her daughter's head.  
"Good night."  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko tossed and turned in her bed. The room sweltering with heat. Kimiko grimaced in her sleep.  
It was a strange dream. Kimiko was flying, through a erie green sky.  
"Hello?" She called.  
But no one would answer.  
"Hello?" Kimiko croaked.  
"It's needs to happen soon." A voice uttered. The shadow shifted like a predator who sensed prey.  
"Who's there?"  
"Just me." Kimiko's hair stood on end. The shadow took in her form.  
"Just you? No, no, you're special. But this is too soon. Begone!" The voice was commanding and smooth.  
Kimiko awoke with gasp. What a weird dream. Kimiko rubbed her eyes. Looking at her alarm clock.  
It was four in the morning.  
Kimiko struggled to remember the dream but it was slipping away.  
Kimiko sighed, laying back down onto her bed. Forcing herself to back to sleep.  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko yawned, stretching her arms up above her head.  
"Now I'll be working until six tonight. I got some packets for you to work on. Just some math, English, world civ. Grandma Cho said if you work on the packets. You can go with her on a haunt."  
Kimiko's jaw dropped.  
"Really? You'll let me go with her?"  
Sumiko smiled.  
"Yes but only if you follow everything Cho says. If working with the paranormal is something you want to do. I'd rather you be with Grandma. No more sneaking into abandoned house."  
Kimiko pumped a fist in the air.  
"Yes!"  
This is a line break.  
Grandma Cho Ling had opened the door. With a grin on her face.  
Sumiko had rushed her goodbye. Quickly thanking Cho for watching Kimiko. Kimiko had settled herself on the old salmon colored couch.  
Trying to get the packets done as fast as she could.  
At noon the house comfortable silence was broken.  
As Kimiko jumped up off the couch.  
"Grandma, I'm done! Let's go!"  
Cho shook her head  
"Kids are so energetic these days. Okay but before we go, you must hear why we are going."  
Kimiko nodded eagerly.  
Cho continued.  
"Two days ago a couple called me. They live a town over. Their son died in accident. He has become a spook. Do you remember what that is?"  
"A spook is a child that died, usually in a violent way." Kimiko recited.  
Cho nodded approvingly.  
"That's right, and we are going to help put this child to rest."  
This is a line break.  
The car ride had been enjoyable. Kimiko and Cho singing loudly and off-key to the top ten pop songs. Snickering at the lyrics.  
And using silly voices to sing songs.  
Cho had just finished a rap about dark horses. Kimiko unable to keep a straight face, was laughing so hard she had tears running down her cheeks. They pulled up to a dreary house in a white picket neighborhood. Cho cleared her face to a more neutral expression. Kimiko climbed out of the car. Trying to hid her excitement, Kimiko bounded up the steps to ring the doorbell.  
Cho following close behind hold her hip. The door opened to reveal a tried looking man wearing a scruffy pair of sweats.  
"Hello." The man intones.  
"You're the hacks my wife hired?"  
His eyes narrows at Kimiko.  
"Aren't you a little young?"  
"I assures you My assistant is more then qualified."  
Cho far from offended at the man's rude tone only shakes her head yes.  
He scoffs but moves aside so the two could enter the house.  
He shuts the door behind them.  
Kimiko pulled at her collar. The cold air in the house steaming as it hit Kimiko.  
Cho notices Kimiko's reaction.  
"Hmm, a cold core spook." She says in an undertone.  
The man lead to a room upstairs, Kimiko could hear the heart wrenching sobs of a woman.  
The man opened a door to a child's room.  
"Trudy, your ghost whispers are here." He says tight lipped.  
The man didn't seem to believe in ghosts.  
The woman Trudy looked up. Dark circles under her eyes and stringy brown hair, Trudy wasn't taking her son's death well.  
"Thank you, thank you for coming." Trudy voice was horse from all of the crying.  
"I can't handle it anymore. I don't want to see him anymore. He's starting to scare me."  
"For god's sake! Trudy these people can't help you! These mediums prey on people like us. You should see a grief consular not a witch doctor." Her husband exploded.  
"You still think I'm making this up!? John, you saw him too I know you did." Trudy shouted.  
John shook his head stubbornly.  
"It was the stress of everything that's happen this week. Our son is gone."  
Kimiko breath was warm. A shiver went up her spine, as a tiny giggle sounded in her ear. Green smoke was filling up her nose.  
"My name's Gene." Kimiko snapped her head to look behind her.  
The adults were all talking.  
A small boy in dripping clothing, and pale blue skin with yellow teeth grinned at her.  
"My name is Kimiko, but you can call me Kim." But Gene was gone, he flew threw the wall. Kimiko looked back at the adults. Still caught up in the heavy discussion. Kimiko opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. The door slammed behind her locking. The adults shouted in alarm. Kimiko took a deep breath before she followed the path of water to the upstairs bathroom. Gene was sitting on the counter looking into the mirror.  
"Gene?" Kimiko reached out to gently touch him. His dark glowing blue eyes stared into her soul.  
"Do you want to play with me?" Gene's creepy smile as he pointed to the water filled bathtub.  
Kimiko shook her head.  
"How about we talk instead."  
Gene pouted.  
"How did you die Gene?" Kimiko asked the spook.  
Gene brighten at this.  
"Oh it was horrible! We were driving home from the movies. On the old tens bridge." Gene cheered up at talking about his death.  
"This car ahead of us was speeding. Then he had to stop 'cause of the ice. Then dad swerved our car and it went over the edge." Gene's face darkened at this. Water trickles rolled down the walls.  
"It was so scary! I was crying! And Dad yelled at me to be a man, not a cry baby. Water was filling up the car. Dad waited for the car to be completely filled with water before opening the window." Gene's eyes welled up with tears.  
Kimiko patted his head.  
"And then he left me! He went for mom first! And then water drained into my lungs and I died." Gene was shouting now. The taps pouring out water, the tub over following with water. Flooding the floor.  
"I'm lonely! Why should I be alone? He let me die! He doesn't deserve my mom!" Gene wailed.  
"Gene did you try to drown your mother?" Kimiko asks softly.  
Gene shifted guiltily.  
"I just don't want to be alone. And he won't even look at me. It's his fault and he won't even say sorry!"  
"How old are you, Gene?" Kimiko brushed some wet hair out of Gene's eyes.  
"Eight, I'm eight." Gene mutters.  
"Here hold my hand, we're going to go talk to your parents. And I promise that if you're holding my hand your dad will see you." Kimiko held out her hand to Gene, who sniffled. He took it and they walked back to his room.  
Cho was the first to notice Kimiko and Gene.  
"I see, he came to you. You are doing well."  
Kimiko nodded.  
Trudy gasped.  
"Gene!"  
The blood drained out of John's face.  
"No he's not there, this is. . . T-this is just a dream. It's not real."  
"Gene." Trudy repeated.  
"Baby? Baby boy, is that you?"  
"Yeah." Gene looked down at the floor.  
"I miss you mom, I wish you come join me."  
Trudy began to sob.  
"I-I c-can't."  
John snapped out of his denial to put an arm around his wife.  
Gene scowled at his father gripping Kimiko's hand tighter.  
"Aren't you gonna say something?"  
John shuttered.  
"I c-can't. I'm, I'm?"  
"Why not?" Kimiko asked.  
"B-because I don't deserve to speak with my son! Not after what I d-did!" John shook with sobs.  
"John, honey what are you talking about?" Trudy stopped her own crying.  
"It's all my f-f-fault, my f-fault, I thought with your head wound I should get you out first." John looked miserable. Gene bit his lip and water flowed from him.  
"I thought I explained the plan to Gene. I forgot who young he was. I yelled at him. I should have know how scared he was. I came back for him but it was to late."  
John crumbled to the ground.  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Gene I'm so sorry. It all my fault. I kept treating you like a man. But you were just a kid."  
John kept muttering to himself. Trudy was crying again.  
Gene was staring at his parents.  
"I'm still scared. I don't want to leave. I wanted mom to come with me."  
Kimiko squeezed his shoulder.  
"It's not your parents time."  
Gene sighed.  
"I forgive you dad, I know you only wanted to help me to grow up strong. I'm sorry for trying to drown you mom."  
"It's time for you to continue your journey. Just let go." Cho patted his back.  
"Wait!" Trudy pulled her dead son into a tight hug.  
"I love you, I love you so much. And I want you to be happy."  
John got up off the floor.  
Trudy let go of Gene.  
"I'm sorry son, I love you, I love you." John gripped his son in a tight hug.  
"I love you too. I think it wouldn't have matter who you saved first. I was never very good at swimming." Gene hugged both of his parents.  
"I've got to go now." Gene turned to the two visitors.  
"Thanks for coming. I think might have done some bad if you hadn't."  
Cho smiled.  
She pulled out a paper handing it to Gene.  
"Go and be at peace child."  
"Gene, I hope you have a good afterlife. Just think of it as your next adventure." Kimiko hugged the little boy.  
Gene glowed disappearing into mist.  
Kimiko and Cho left the house quietly. The grieving parents hanging onto each other like life lines.  
This is a line break.  
"So what did you think?" Cho asked cutting up some veggies for dinner.  
"It was different than I thought it would be." Kimiko popped a snap pea into her mouth.  
"How so?" Cho dropped the onions into the pot.  
"Well I thought it would be more action. That maybe we'd have to force the ghost to move on. I didn't expect the spook to be so human." Kimiko leaned her head on her hands.  
"Most ghosts were once human or at alive at one time. And we were luckily to have gotten there so soon before some thing happened." Cho sighed.  
"Grandma? I've been having weird, well weirder things happening to me." Kimiko nervously taps her fingernails on the counter.  
Cho stiffened.  
"What kind of things?"  
Kimiko frowned.  
"I've been having this heat in my chest and it's when ghosts are near. And I get green smoke out of my nose. And there's this thing that's been showing up. It followed me to school, and it found our house." Kim tells the old wise woman everything.  
Cho stokes her chin pensively.  
"Have you told your mother?"  
Kim nodded.  
"Sort of, I just don't want to worry her."  
"This is something your mother needs to know. Now what kind of ghost have you been seeing?" Cho asked sharply.  
"I don't know, it's hiding from me." Kimiko lifts her head.  
"What's wrong with me? Why am I so weird?"  
Cho sighed.  
"You are not weird, you are just different. But have just the thing for you." Cho turned away opening a drawer and digging threw it.  
She straighten and pulled out a jade charm neckless.  
Kimiko stood up.  
"This charm will help keep away any unfriendly ghosts. Now help me with dinner your mother is coming to pick you up." Cho tied the charm around Kim's neck.  
"Let's get cooking."  
Kimiko stopped.  
"What about mom? I don't want this thing to hurt her."  
"I will try to finish your mother's charm in at least two weeks, these charms are tricky to make." Cho hugs Kim.  
"You are a light among the dark. Never forget that, you are special. I'm very glad I got to meet you and your mother. You have both been lights in my life."  
Kim smiles.  
"Stop it, you're going to make me cry."  
Kim sat up.  
"I see your still wearing silly clothing." Cho teased trying to change the subject.  
"In my day no one wore such tight clothing."  
Kim looked down at her clothes. Her black skinny jeans that had some stylish holes in them. They were tight against her legs she did admit it, but not as much as other girls. Her tight white t-shirt with the black spitfire symbol on it. Her black hodie zip up jacket was baggy compared to the rest of her clothes.  
And her white converses were mid shin. Her long black hair was also up in a high ponytail.  
"Well at least I'm up to date, you need to go with the flow, be adaptable grandma." She teased back. Gesturing to the old style Chinese dress.  
They laughed in a much better mood.  
The door bell rang.  
This is a line break.  
"Thank you for letting us come over Cho. Dinner was wonderful as always. Kimmy and I are grateful for the time you spend with Kim when I have to work." Sumiko smiled at her adopted mother. Cho loved Sumiko and Kimiko more then Sumiko's real mother ever would.  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, I love spending time with my granddaughter. Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?" Cho frowned.  
"It's dark out there."  
"We'll be okay, I have to work early in the morning tomorrow. But we'll be back as soon we can. I love you see you tomorrow." Sumiko kissed the old woman on the cheek.  
Kim hugged her good bye.  
"Be safe, driving at night is alway dangerous. Be careful call me if something happens." Cho fretted.  
"You worry too much we'll be fine. See you tomorrow." Kim waved goodbye as she bucked her seat belt. 

**End of chapter 1******


	3. Chapter 2

**DI chapter 2**  
Kim's room became warm, her chest burned. Something was breathing on her ear and neck. Long sharp nailed fingers ran up and down her spine. The thing hissed as the charm kicked in, burning its hands.  
"I'll find you, you can't hide forever." A voice hiss in her ear. Kimiko bolts out her bed and let's out a frighten scream.  
Her mother rushed in.  
"Sweet heart what's wrong? Are you alright?"  
"I . . . I had a nightmare. There was this thing but it was blurred, I couldn't make it out. It was trying to find me. Mom, I'm scared." Kim sobbed into her mother's shoulder.  
"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's ok. Cho can help us. She'll know what to do." Sumiko reassures the hyperventilating girl.  
Kim takes a deep breath.  
"Okay, mom?"  
"Yes?"  
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Kim duck her face in shame. Only babies sleep with their parents. But Kim thought about the thing that whispered to her and hoped the answer would be yes. It was the same nightmare over the last four days. Kim's eye bags had bags.  
"Honey, of course you can. Let's go grab your pillow." Sumiko lead her daughter in the master bedroom. Sumiko looked worriedly at her daughter. The night terrors were  
They both settled into the warm covers. Sleep sneaking up onto them.  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko lounged on a chair at the low seated table. Tapping her pencil to a beat from her head phones. Working on a school packet. Kimiko swung her head towards Grandma Cho who was concentrating on making a charm.  
"Staring at me doesn't get your work done any faster." Cho didn't even look up from her careful work.  
Kimiko sighed before turning back to her book. She only had two pages left before she would be done.  
Kimiko hunkered down to finish the last of the pages.  
Kimiko stretched.  
"Whoo! I'm done! No more school work for me today. Yes!" Kimiko jumped up.  
"Hold your horses, there is no need to rush." Cho put down the charm.  
"Never rush into things that's dangerous."  
Kimiko forced herself to calm down.  
"I'm just excited that's all. I'm going to be free for the weekend no school work for me. Plus mom is off work and we're going to the movies tonight."  
"What movie?" Cho smiled.  
"It's this new Jackie Chan movie, and we're gonna get movie pop corn, candy, you know the works."  
Kimiko had a bounce in her step.  
"This'll be the first time, in a couple weeks we do something together. Mom been so busy with work."  
"That's sounds fun, try to get your mother to smile. She far to serious." Cho teased.  
"It'll be great." Kimiko beamed.  
"Well come help me with dinner and by the time your mother gets here you'll be ready to go." Cho put the charm away and turned on the stove.  
**This is a line break**  
Kimiko was standing behind her mother, the ticket line was a like a long line of fish, packed like sardines. Sumiko grabbed the tickets, motioning for Kimiko to follow her into the theater.  
"I got the tickets, who's the best mom in the world." Sumiko waved the tickets.  
"You are!" Kimiko pumped a fist into the air.  
"So on candy, I'm thinking Sour patch kids, oh and nachos! Oh look they also have chocolate almonds!" Kimiko pressed her face against the glass display case.  
Sumiko shook her head amused at her daughter's antics.  
The worker a pizza face emo teen glared down at Kimiko. Her face now resembling a pig from his side of the glass.  
"Welcome to West theaters." He wheezed."Please order your snacks, and leave."  
Sumiko handed the boy a twenty dollar bill.  
"We need a medium pop corn, some nachos, sour patch kids, and chocolate almonds." Sumiko ordered, the teen grumbled as he left to grab their snacks. He returned his skinny arms filled with the food.  
Kimiko scooped the snack up and bounced off to the theater room her mother following after.  
Maneuvering around legs, and rowdy kids, they found their seats. Kimiko and her mother snickering and making jokes about the commercials. Stifling their mirth once the previews started rolling.  
Warmth rolling in Kimiko's chest, green smoke leaving out threw her nose. Kimiko tensed, her eyes rooming the large room for the ghost. She found the source in the upper rafters. Kimiko watched in horror as a young woman dressed in a sixty style pushed a middle aged  
This is a line break  
Kimiko felt the heat, this time she didn't fight it. Her lungs tighten with a warm numbing feeling. Kimiko stiffen, the hair at on her back rose. She shook, she knew this feeling, that thing was back. And this time she could make out its features.  
The hot breath on her neck began. She could hear the heavy breathing in her ear. Kimiko could smell the acrid, rotting, and coppery scent.  
Kimiko didn't want to see its ugly face. The stitched eyes and mouth, the greasy black hair, it's long,sharp and hooked nose.  
But she couldn't deny it it any longer.  
It had been following her for months. It whispered the most deprived things to her. At first she could send it away but now it took all of her energy to kick it out.  
Kimiko knew that this thing was different then anything she'd ever met. The others didn't have the pure power nor the nasty, bad and completely frightening feeling that it gave off.  
"Please go away." She bravely said to it.  
It wheezed and shuttered like it was laughing.  
"Sweetie?" Sumiko called concerned for her daughter who had gone very pale.  
Kimiko froze, the thing had never met her mother before. She could feel it twist it attention to her Mom.  
"Mother can't save you. No, mommy can't save anyone." The thing hissed at her threw sewn lips.  
"Mommy is powerless to stop me."  
"Wow! Did Mrs. Ling get that for you? It's beautiful." Sumiko smiled at her daughter nodded towards the neckless.  
"Y . . . Yes. For protection." Kimiko replyed.  
"Are you alright darling?" She asks in concerned.  
"S-stop the car Mom." Kimiko tries to keep her voice steady.  
"Honey?" Sumiko's voice shakes.  
They were on the long road near the old forest.  
"Nice spot. A beautiful spot. A prefect spot to do it." The thing murmured to Kimiko.  
Dread flew threw her at those words.  
"Mom! No!" Kim didn't have any time to say anything more.  
Everything was chaos, the wheel jerked sideways. The car rammed into a transformer, the wires ripped and landed onto the car. It felt like a thousand little needles were punching in her. She felt like she was being burned from the inside. She was on fire.  
She could smell burned flesh. She screamed so loudly that the eerie screech could be heard for miles around. Glass flew everywhere and then darkness fell upon Kimiko as her heart stopped.  
**This is a line break.**  
B-bum, B-bum, B-bum. Her heart was beating again but so slow.  
Kimiko woke to the sickening sound of crunches, smacks, and ripping noises. She shot up so fast her head felt like it was going to tear open.  
She grimaces in pain. She opens her eyes to look at the sounds. The thing is eating something, her vision is blurred she blinks until it clears. She focuses on the Thing.  
It's eating a human hand. The bone was broken off from the rest off the body. She can feel her dinner rise up to her throat. She doesn't want to look at the face she already knows what she'll find. Her mother.  
She feels faint and weak but also fury at the thing. It killed her, it killed her mother. It was eating her mother! She tries to get up, she tries again.  
The thing's eyes aren't sewn shut anymore neither is it's mouth. Blood drips from it lips as a black forked tongue darts out to lick it. It's eye's are a hellish red orange. The lids still have the holes from the wire that held them shut for so long.  
"So you're awake. I was waiting a long . . . Time you know." It's voice is horse from disuse having never raised its voice above a whisper.  
Kimiko is silent.  
"My Name is Jazsal and you are Kimiko Nao. I've been . . . watching you for a very very long time."  
Kimiko is silent again, shifting her weight to search for a weakness. This thing was going to die even if it was the last thing she ever did.  
"I'm a collector, I collect to things. Like you, I very much want you to be my . . . greatest prize. A natural born Hafha, together we would be unstoppable. You just need to forget my dear." It grin sickeningly at her, it's razor sharp teeth snapped at her.  
Kimiko was in shock, he wanted to collect her. He killed her mother so he could collect her?! Who, no what was this thing? What the hell was this thing talking about? A natural born Hafha? What is that?  
She was so furious, she felt her hands burning. She glanced down at them, green glowing energy covered her hands. Kimiko horrified tried to put them out. Her hair flickered, white flame.  
"What's happening to me? My hair is on fire!" Kimiko couldn't think. Everything was crazy.  
"You're fine . . . after all, you're only half dead." It snickered enjoying a private joke.  
"Why did you do this? My mom." Tears began sidling down Kimiko's face.  
"Your mother is worthless to me, expect for a good snack. Oh I've been hungry for far to long." It came closer to her.  
"You're . . . special, I would never harm you." It's hand caressed her cheek, before erupting into burns. It pulled back it's hand with a hiss.  
"You're a monster, and if you think you're going to get away with murdering my mother. You have another thing coming!"  
Kimiko wanted to hurt this thing so bad. The feeling in her hands began to burn again. Energy itching to escape. A blast of green energy hit it and it flew backwards into a tree ten yards away.  
"Stay away from me. I'm going to destroy you for what you did." Kimiko had snapped. Her eyes burned with energy. The only thing she wanted to do was to kill this thing for what it did to her mother.  
"I knew . . . you'd be powerful. So very, very powerful. After all you are his daughter." It coos to her.  
Kimiko is on autopilot, she fights until she is to weak to fight anymore.  
She falls to ground after a vicious punch to her stomach. She hacks up blood, no it's not blood it's green with a red sheen.  
Kimiko can't help herself, she panics. Her blood is green. Her blood is green. She's losing consciousness fast. She still can't get over that fact her mother's dead eyes are boring into her's blaming her, accusing her. Her mother had every right to, Kimiko failed.  
Her vision is fading to black.  
"Get away from her." Mrs. Ling shouts at the thing. Kimiko can hear Mrs. Ling yell something in Chinese. A bright light, the thing hisses, then thing is gone.  
"Kimiko? Kimiko? Hold on, hold on." Mrs. Ling is panicking.  
Kimiko drifts away.  
This is a line break.  
"What the hell? She's breathing but I can't find a heart beat." The young nurse looks frighten.  
"What that can't be right. Let me see." The doctor comes over to look at the results. She stares in shock.  
"It's there but it's only beating 5 times every minute. This is impossible, did you check her other stats?"  
"Yes her blood pressure is threw the roof, her temperature is 120 degrees. And from the patients' past files it said her hair was black and her eyes blue." The nurse twitches nervously.  
"But her hair is pure white and her eyes are green. What in god's name is going on here? Mother found partially eaten, the daughter found mostly dead. I don't really want to get involved in this case." The nurse says.  
"You're not the only one, go find that old woman who signed for her. And the police I want to talk with them." The doctor orders.  
The nurse hurries away grateful to get away from the unnatural girl.  
Ten minutes later the nurse comes back with the old woman.  
"The police will be here shortly." Then the nurse all but runs away.  
"You found them?" The doctor asks.  
"Yes, I did." The woman answered.  
"You know this girl?" The doctor asks.  
"Yes she is like my grand daughter, and I'm a close family friend." She tells the doctor.  
"You reported a car accident? The mother drove into a transformer. and when you came onto the scene, you chased away the rabid animal eating the mother correct." The doctor felt sick. Something was going on here and she wanted nothing to do with it.  
"Yes." The old woman's voice cracked.  
"Then called 911." She said.  
The doctor doesn't want to deal with this. The bites were almost human. She would rather that it was an animal. Ignorance is bliss.  
"And the girl? Why is her appearance so different?" The doctor wants all of this to end and be someone else's problem.  
"Kimiko likes anime, she just dyed her hair and is wearing contacts." The elderly woman says this quickly.  
The doctor doesn't care.  
"Alright Mrs. Ling, thank you." The doctor leaves.  
Mrs. Ling rushes over to Kimiko she places a piece of paper with unreadable letters on her wrist.  
"I hope this works." She whispered.  
A black ring forms around Kim's middle, the light running up and down returning to her normal form.  
**This is a line break.**  
It was a beautiful sunny day, Kimiko hated it. The weather and day should reflect her mood on this terrible day.  
The small church was sparse of life. Only Mrs. Ling, a couple of her mother's friends, Vlad Masters the rich business man and shockingly enough her grandparents.  
The minster droned on about how her mother was in a better place. Kimiko's nails dug into her hands blood dripping rhythmically against the floor.  
How was her mother in a better place? She should be here with her daughter. Perhaps she'll become a ghost she was murdered after all. Kimiko thought darkly.  
It wouldn't be so bad if her mother became a ghost. If only but it wouldn't fix the gaping hole in Kimiko's heart.  
The sickening scent from the imported Sakura blossoms filled Kimiko's nose. Her mother loves-loved the smell. Vlad Masters had spared no expense for the funeral service. Kimiko was determined to find out why.  
Her mother's body had already been cremated as per her wishes. Kimiko wished they had the time to have had her mother buried with a new tree growing over her grave. Her mother had wanted a green funeral.  
But there wasn't anytime.  
Vlad sat stiff backed next to her on the bench. Trying and succeeding to hide his unshed tears from the world.  
The minster finally stopped talking.  
Erie quiet surrounded the people in the room.  
Kimiko's grandparents had muttered morning words in Japanese to the urn of their daughter and left with out saying a word to Kimiko.  
Kimiko tried to keep the stab of pain from their rejection at bay.  
Vlad put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Which she viciously shook off. Turning her back to him.  
Vlad sighed, he didn't know what to do with this girl, or why he should even care.  
Vlad stood up walking over to the table of refreshments to get a glass of wine.  
Sumiko's friends gave their condolences to him. But in their eyes Vlad could see the itching questions of how he knew Sumiko.  
The greedy look in the women's eyes. Looking to strike gold by dating or marrying him. Vlad was sweating. It was time to go for him and the guests to go.  
Mrs. Ling seemed to be reading his thoughts as she politely shooed everyone out of the church. Kimiko sat on the bench in front if the memorial picture of her mother. Staring at it with dead eyes.  
She sat like that for hours.  
"Kimko it's time to go. You need to sleep." Mrs. Ling says gently to Kimiko. Vlad watched as the old woman gently lead Sumiko's daughter out of the church.  
Kimiko looked devoid of color even her blue eyes seemed a dark gray. Her all black clothing dimmed her even more.  
Mrs. Ling come over to Vlad.  
"Vlad dear, I'll take Kimiko tonight. You go sleep, you need it."  
Vlad's throat tighten with emotion.  
He couldn't speak so he only nodded.  
Mrs. Ling looked at the two lost souls. "Take heart in each other you'll need it for what's to come." Vlad stared at her. Was she crazy?  
This is a line break.  
It had been a week since the funeral. Kimiko felt dead inside, she wanted everything to stop. She wanted to sleep all day and wake up from this nightmare.  
She was staying with Mrs. Ling, but not for long. She was going to a will reading and people whispered her father was in it.  
Once upon a time Kimiko would have been happy to finally have met her father, but now.  
She just didn't care.  
She had nightmares and she didn't eat. All she cared about now was finding the thing and tearing it to shreds.  
Strange things were happening around her. Stranger things then what used to happen anyway.  
All the things only she could see of the ghost variety, stayed far away from her. Like they could sense her rage and itching for a fight.  
"Kimmy, it's time to go." Mrs. Ling stuck her head into the room.  
Kim blinked then nodded slowly.  
They drove to the court house in tense silence.  
They walked to the room for the will reading. Kimiko sat down in a chair Mrs. Ling sat right next to her.  
The reader of the will reached over to hold her hand. Kimiko went white.  
"I'm very sorry about your loss Miss Nao." He says.  
Kimiko say nothing and snaps her hand away. The will reader looks at her pityingly.  
The door opens again and Vlad Masters walks in.  
He freezes when he see Kimiko, his face drains of blood. He looks as if he's seen a ghost. Kimiko stares him in the eye, she wasn't going to back down. Vlad looked away it was painful to see Sumiko's face staring at him with his eyes.  
"Let's get started shall we." Vlad wipes his sweaty hands on his pants.  
"Of course." The will reader starts to read.  
Kimiko tunes him out.  
She wonders why her mother never told her that she knew the billionaire Vladimir Masters. What was he doing here anyway? Could he be her mysterious father? No! Kimiko wasn't going to go there. She had been with out a father for fourteen years she didn't need one now.  
"In the invent of my death I would like my daughter to live with her father Vladimir Masters." Kimiko stares at the reader avoiding Vlad's gaze.  
"Can you repeat that?" She asks.  
"Um . . . Yes of course. In the invent of my death I would like my daughter to live with her father Vladimir Masters." The reader squeaks.  
"I . . . would like a DNA test to be sure." Vlad's voice cracks as he says this.  
"Yes of course." The reader looks relived as the rich man leaves the room.  
Kimiko glaring at his back.  
This is a line break.  
The nurse who just left after taking the blood samples, took the hot feeling in her chest too.  
Kimiko sat on the chair alone in the room with Vlad. Vlad had opened and closed his mouth several times now.  
They both had their samples taken.  
Vlad nervously began to tap his shoe and mess with his red tie.  
Kimiko looked at Vlad in the corner of her eye. She hoped it wasn't true, she didn't want to go live with this man. But she couldn't deny how much she looked like him.  
He had white hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her mother always told her that she had her father's shade of blue eyes. And his cheek bones.  
Kimiko wanted to hit something so badly.  
Vlad was sweating in his expensive Italian made suit. Sumiko was dead, this child might be his. No, not might, she was his child. Everything to her hair and the shape of her eyes was her mother's.  
but her blue colored eyes, cheek bones and even her manner of sitting reminded him of himself.  
It was foolish of him to have not believed Sumiko. It seem everything he's done in these past 20 years was so very foolish.  
The door opened and the nurse walked back in with the test results.  
"She is your daughter Mr. Masters.  
There's no doubt about that." The man said his voice sounding strange like it was else someone's voice.  
Vlad watched as his new daughter's face crumbled.  
He was sure his face mirrored her own. Vlad had the feeling everything was about to change, weather it was good or bad was yet to be seen.

**End of Chapter 2**


	4. Chapter 3

**DI Chapter 3**

Her entire life was being packed away in cardboard boxes. Her books, her research walls, her clothes. The picture albums, her mother's things. The furniture was being sold. Her life in this place with her mother was really ending, really gone.  
"Kimiko, you're father will be good for you. You'll learn manny things from him." Mrs. Ling tells her.  
Kimiko snorts.  
"Why can't I stay with you? I don't want to go with him. Don't you want me?" Kimiko turned her face away to hide the tears from her grand-mother.  
"Kimiko I love you, I do. But your place is with your father." Mrs. Ling pulled Kimiko into a hug.  
"I'll always call and visit you. I'm not abandoning you. I love you. I'll be able to visit after you settle in."  
Kimiko just buried her head into Mrs. Ling dark sweater and cried harder.  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko gripped the arms of the seat in a death grip. The jet rocking from turbulence. She had said goodbye to Mrs. Ling, angry and bitter.  
Why didn't Mrs. Ling fight for her? Mrs. Ling was adamant that Kimiko live with her father. That there was no way Kimiko could live with her. She didn't want to go with this man. The man who broke her mother's heart. But then again no wonder Mrs. Ling didn't want her, she was a failure. Maybe she could just run away from him.  
"Kimiko, you need to be with your father. He is the only one who can help you. Your mother would have wanted you to." Mrs. Ling hugged as she murmured into her ear.  
Kimiko scoffed as she remembered.  
She should have been excited when she learned that Vlad was the mayor of Amity Park and one of the richest men in the world. Home to her favorite ghost boy the Phantom.  
But she wasn't what did it matter anymore her mother was dead. Nothing mattered anymore expect killing that thing.  
"So Kimiko, I'm going to enroll you into Casper High." Vlad attempted to make conversation with her but she stabatoged his every word with tight lipped silence. Hollow eyes surveying the window by her seat.  
Vlad sighed tiredly and returned to his news paper.  
This is a line break.  
Vlad nervously shook the shoulder of the whimpering sleeping girl.  
What was he suppose to do with a fourteen year old girl? No teenagers willingly liked him.  
Vlad could almost see Sumiko's sleeping face in her daughter's face. Their daughter's face. He was such a fool. He for the first time in his half-life, he didn't know what to do.  
Sumiko was dead.  
Vlad was pushed out of his thoughts by Kimiko waking up gasping, her head slamming against his own.  
They both groaned in pain.  
"We're here." Vlad rubbed his red forehead.  
Kimiko nods the first actually sign of communication towards Vlad.  
It was a very small start but a start none the less.  
They climbed down the ramp of the private jet. The airport of Amity Park was small and cozy. A limo was waiting for them. A butler was already loading their luggage into the limo.  
They rode in silence to the Mayor's house.  
The entire staff is waiting for them when they arrive. Maids, cook, handy man. All giving Kimiko that burning sensation in her chest.  
Mrs. Ling was right, her father had more to him then meets the eye.  
Vlad was talking to her and she decided to actually listen this time.  
"Diner will be ready shortly, and Ohphila will show you to your new room."  
Kimiko looked at the man.  
"I'm tried. I'm not coming to dinner."  
Then followed the maid to her new room. The room was plain, but nice. Her things already standing by the bed.  
"You can leave." She dismissed Ohphila.  
The maid silently bowed and left the room. Kimiko flung herself onto the bed and slept.  
**This is a line break.**  
The next week, Kimiko and Vlad spent avoiding each other. Quite successfully too. Kimiko slept and only ate what the cook force her to eat. She only got out of bed because Ohphila threaten to throw ice water on her if she didn't get out of bed.  
Kimiko kept the paper on her wrist. If she kept it on, it could be as if all that had happened was just a dream.  
No turning invisible or falling though things. Kimiko was so sick of being different. It had always caused so much trouble for her. And now it had gotten her mother killed.  
Kimiko couldn't just sit around and wallow in misery though. She need to avenge her mother.  
That demon would pay. She would make sure of it. Kimiko searched Vlad's library and his 'secret' one. He had a secret study and lab. Who has a secret lab? Crazy people that's who. Her new father was a strange man. But so far she had found nothing on the thing. Only it's name, Jazsal.  
It was frustrating, that Kimiko was so useless in finding anything about the monster.  
Kimiko picked at the paper on her wrist. She hated it, but she was going to have to try and change into the form that could actually stand a chance against the monster.  
She pealed the paper off. The difference was immediate. The heat in her had been muted and was now a roaring fire. Kimiko squeezed her eyes shut. She grabbed onto the feeling of heat pulling it to the surface.  
A black ring formed around her middle. Running up and down her body. Changing her.  
Kimiko blinked at her reflection on her mirror.  
It was weird her eyes were glowing green, she was glowing. Her body was lightly glowing all over.  
Her skin was darker only a bit but enough. Her hair was amazing it was fire, white fire. Flickering and warm she felt a strand. It didn't hurt to touch. She let out a gasp. And her ears were pointed like an elf.  
She fingered her new ears.  
"This is so weird." She muttered.  
Her clothes were the same as the clothes she wore on the day it happened except they were opposite colors. She felt light, she looked down at her feet.  
Almost giving herself a heart attack when she looked down at her feet to find them missing.  
A ghostly tail in her legs place.  
"This is going to take some getting use too." Kimiko groaned.  
Did this mean she could fly? Kimiko shot up hitting the ceiling.  
"Oww! That hurt."  
She rubbed her head, her hand was missing from sight. Her eyes widen.  
It reappeared, Kimiko sighed with relief.  
"Okay Kim let's see what we can do." Kimiko floated above her bed.  
The rings formed and she fell onto her bed completely human.  
"What?! No! I didn't want to turn back yet!" Kimiko growled.  
She tried to reach the heat but it was dulled.  
Kimiko moaned in frustration says she slumped onto her bed.  
Her head buried into her arms. Kimiko fought to keep from crying.  
**This is a line break.**  
Vlad was busy with his company, and of course with being the Mayor of Amity Park. Vlad was certainly not avoid his daughter like the black plague. He was just very busy with things and stuff, like being mayor. Vlad was beginning to regret becoming Mayor.  
It was too much work and to be frank he hated it. Vlad was also looking into Sumiko's death or murder as he was beginning to suspect.  
He had stolen and copied everything he could find on the case. He had read Sumiko's death report. It was greatly disturbing, even to him. He had seen a lot of disturbing things in his life. It said she was eaten by something humanoid. Vlad shivered remembering another thing that liked the taste of human flesh.  
"Don't be ridiculous I, destroyed that monster long ago." He told himself.  
But there was no denying that something paranormal was at work here.  
Vlad grabbed a device from his desk.  
"Skuller I want you to investigate the site of the accident." He spoke into the little speaker.  
It crackled with the reply.  
"Sure thing boss."  
Vlad sagged onto his desk.  
He thought about his failed attempts to talk with his daughter, perhaps he should read some parenting books.  
He'd been putting it off, but he really needed to tell her that she'd be going to school tomorrow.  
Vlad had already ordered her uniforms for school.  
He honestly couldn't get why the teens of Amity Park were upset with him. He had after all transformed Casper High school on par to some of the greatest private schools in the country. The youth of today was so ungrateful.  
The most ungrateful being Daniel and his two pathetic friends. Hopeful Kimiko would see reason.  
**This is a line break.**  
Kimiko closed her eyes, reaching for the heat willing it to spread.  
And this time it worked. Kimiko opened her eyes to find she had done it.  
The other form was like an opposite but mirror image of the day of the murder just like before.  
She had stayed in the ghost form for a whole day. Granted she fell threw floors, couldn't hold her tangibility or visibility. And she blasted a hole in the wall with the green energy, which she covered up by sticky ectoplasm and a movie poster. But at least she wasn't switching back and forth unless she wanted to. And avoiding Vlad came in handy for him to not noticing her strange accidents.  
**This is a line break.**  
"Kimiko, tomorrow I would like to see you at your new school. It's been a month since you came here I think it's time. Education is very important after all." Vlad lectures.  
Kimiko glares at him, she should have skipped breakfast.  
"I'd rather not, couldn't I be home schooled." Kimiko say rather tensely.  
Kimiko hated schools, stupid teens bullying, gossiping and kissing each other. Who ever thought putting a bunch of hormonal teens together was good idea? Well they would be getting an ass kicking from her.  
"This is not a request, it's an order." Vlad's voice rose and so did he.  
Kimiko looked murderously at Vlad then took a deep breathe.  
"Fine I'll go." Kimiko glared at her peas as she viscously stabbed them with her fork. After all she couldn't avoid it forever, better to do it quick and get it over with. Rip off the bandaid quick. It wasn't worth fight over. She knew when to pick her battles.  
Vlad looked surprise at how quickly Kimiko agreed. He half expected it would be like pulling teeth as he had to do with Daniel.  
"Thank you Kimiko . . . " Vlad trains off.  
"May I please be excused?" Kimiko mutters.  
"Yes of course." Vlad says tiredly, as he watches her back disappear behind the closing door.  
Vlad sits back down and hangs his head in his hands.  
"Well, that went well." He groans sarcastically to himself.  
"Boss I have something you need to hear." The voice disembodied of Skuller echoes threw out the dining room.  
"Yes Skuller, what is it?" He asks.  
"It's about that car accident you asked me to look at." Skuller became visible. And Vlad was shocked to see he looked truly frighten.  
"Yes, go on." Vlad leaned forward.  
"Jazsal was there." Skuller whimpers to him.  
Vlad face goes deadly pale.  
"That's impossible . . . impossible I destroyed Jazsal!" Vlad's voice shakes.  
"His scent was there all over the car and your girl. If he survived you . . ." Skuller shutters.  
"You are absolutely sure, Skuller? That it was him?" Vlad clenched his fists hoping the answer is no.  
"Yes, I've never forgotten his scent. I wish sometimes I had." Skuller says.  
"Thank you for telling me Skuller. You can go home now." Vlad dismisses him.  
Skuller nods gratefully and then disappears.  
Vlad grabs the table to steady himself, He felt faint.  
"Jazsal . . . the bite-marks on Sumiko . . . It make sense. But I destroyed him, what does that demon want?" Vlad mutters to himself.  
Then it becomes dizzyingly clear, Jazsal wants his daughter, he wants Kimiko. The questions is why? And how did he even find out about her?  
**This is a line break.**  
Kimiko was laughing with her mother, they were having so much fun. Bowling like they did every Friday night. Then in the blink of an eye everything changed. Her mother was on the floor her eyes glassy. Jazsal stood over her, chewing on a finger. Blood dripped from his mouth.  
Then her mother screamed at her.  
"Why weren't you strong enough to save me, Kimiko?" She howled.  
"You should have warned me! You should have saved me! You should have died!"  
Then Kimiko shot out of bed. Covered in sweat, and sobbing.  
"Just a nightmare Kimmy pull your self together." She told herself as she wiped away her tears.  
She didn't sleep for the rest of the night.  
**This is a line break.**  
Kimiko and Vlad stood outside of the principal's office, waiting to be let in.  
The door opened, and principal Yuki lead the two into her office.  
"Mayor Masters such a pleasure to see you again. And you must be Kimiko such a pleasure as well. I'm delighted that you're sending your daughter here to Casper High.  
I have her class schedule right here. And of course a guide for you Jazzimine Fenton. She's one of our best students." The woman handed a piece of paper to her.  
It looked pretty average schedule to Kimiko.  
"Thank you Irene, I can't thank you enough." Vlad simpered to the fat blushing woman and kissed her hand.  
Kimiko look on in pure disgust. What a man-whore. Her mother hasn't even been in the ground that long. Kimiko glowered at Vlad.  
"Until next time my dear." He waved lavishly to her.  
They walked out and Kimiko quickly said her goodbyes as fast as she could, and walked as fast as she could.  
She bumped into a older girl with long red-orange hair.  
"Oh I'm so sorry." The girl helps her up.  
"I'm Jazzimine Fenton, what's your name?" She asked.  
"I'm Kimiko Nao, and you're my school guide. The principal assigned you to me." She told the girl.  
"Oh that's great, I thought you had gotten lost." Jazzimine says.  
"Can I see your schedule?"  
"Sure Jazzimine." Kimiko hands it to her.  
"Just call me Jazz, everyone does." Jazz looks at the paper.  
"You have a lot of the same classes my little brother Danny and his friends have. Maybe I'll have Danny show you around." Jazz smiles brightly.  
"That's alright I . . . don't need-" Kimiko is cut off.  
"Danny, come over here I need to talk to you." Jazz yelled at a lanky black haired, blue eyed boy.  
"Fine." The boy sighed.  
Two people followed him, a girl with purple eyes and short black hair. The other a black boy with a ketchup red hat on his head.  
"What do you want Jazz?" Danny asks.  
"I need you to show Kimiko around the school you have all of the same classes." Jazz shoves Kimiko at Danny.  
"No way Jazz, I'm not showing her around." Danny glared hard at Kimiko.  
"I don't want your help. I can figure it out on my own." Kimiko snarled at him. Her eyes flashed green. The girl and the other boy flinched away from her. They seem to be almost afraid of her.  
"Danny, remember what we talked about. You and I need to have a talk." Jazz dragged Danny away.  
Leaving Kimiko alone with the other boy and girl.  
"I'm Sam Maddison, and this is Tucker Foley." The girl also glared.  
"My name is Kimiko Nao. What's you're problem with me? I've never even met any of you. So I can't have done anything to you." Kimiko doesn't take her eyes off of Sam.  
"Our problem with you, is because your Plasimis's daughter." Sam growled at her.  
"Who? I'm Vlad Masters's daughter, not who ever you said before, what kind of name is Plasimius anyway?" Kimiko was getting sick of this girl's attitude. Who did she think she was?  
"Whatever, so what are you some failed clone he made?" Sam scoffs at her.  
Clone? Kimiko fingers clenched into fists wants to punch this bitch so bad, but she didn't want to get in a fight on her first day. Her mom wouldn't have approved of that.  
Kimiko walks away and looks down on her paper. She didn't need their help, she could do this on her own.  
"Where are you going?" Sam shrieked.  
"I'm going to class, education is important after all. Beside pathetic people like you aren't worth my time." Kimiko walked off to her English class. The rest of the day was spent trying to stay awake in class and ignoring the trio of losers. Just her luck she got all of her classes with them.  
This is a line break.  
Kimiko picked at her food, it was not bad for school food but she never felt hungry anymore. Or rather she just couldn't bring herself to eat.  
"Hey look it's Mayor lame's new Daughter." A bulky dumb looking boy shout across the room.  
"I heard you aren't even really his daughter. I've been pissed about what your dear old dad been doing to my school." Dash was near her now, so near. It was irritating her so much, she wanted him away from her.  
"From what I can see my father has improved this place, considering what rat hole it was before. Back off! Or you'll regret it." Kimiko could feel her eyes burn as she glared at the moron.  
"What the hell? You're freak." He shoved her.  
She lost her balance and hit the floor temporarily going intangible. The entire school was watching, some cheering others stayed silent.  
"I don't like having freaks in my school." Dash cracked his knuckles.  
Kimiko has had enough, she'll show this boy why he shouldn't mess with her.  
Bring! Bring! Bring!  
An alarm went off in the school, Dash whimpers and runs away. Lot of students do. Kimiko's chest burns, green smoke rising out of her mouth.  
A ghost is near by.  
She freezes, what if its Jazsal? She wasn't ready yet, she wouldn't be able to kill him now.  
"Hmm . . . What lovely fear and sadness you have. You'll make an even more satisfying meal than the ghost boy." A woman's voice said behind her, she turned to look. It was a ghost, she was a black and glowing green shadow form.  
"My you taste wonderful. I just could eat you up. You are so miserable." She crowed as it pinched Kim's cheeks hard.  
Kimiko began feel so depressed, it had to be the ghost. All of her repressed emotions building up drowning her in them.  
"Get away from me." She ordered weakly.  
"Oh you've had a death in the family. How sad." The ghost cackles at her.  
Kimiko tries to call on her gifts but she so weak.  
"I bet it was your fault, wasn't it? You were just to weak to save them. Poor, weak, stupid, little girl." Kimiko felt even more drained after the ghost said each word.  
"Hmm, such fear, such depression. It's like a spa. Best I've had in years." The ghost purred.  
"You are all alone, why would anyone want a freak like you? I bet your mother was the one who died. How tragic, well honey, I can tell you right now that it was all your fault."  
Kimiko had tears running down her face. It was her fault she should have done something. Her mother was dead because of her.  
"I-I it w-wasn't. Shut up!"  
"Of course it was your fault-" the ghost was cut off as pink and green energy hit her square in the face.  
Kimiko couldn't breathe, it . . . Was . . . All . . . Her . . . Fault.  
**This is a line break.**  
Vlad was siting at his mayor desk signing paperwork a lot of paperwork.  
"Confound this paperwork to fire." He mutters darkly.  
He wonder how Kimiko was doing in school, maybe it was to soon. Maybe he should just home schooled her. If Jazsal was after her, he wouldn't let Kimiko die. She had to be protected.  
Vlad got up and paced around his office. What should he do?  
Heat began to warm his chest. Red smoke drifted from his nose. Vlad closed his eyes trying to pinpoint how far away the ghost was.  
He turned on his T.V. to see what ghost had come this time. On the shaking Cameras, these reporters why bother even filming the ghost fights if they couldn't even film it.  
Spectra and Daniel were fighting outside the school. He let out a relived breathe, it wasn't Jazsal thankfully.  
The fight was going very well for Daniel until he got distracted by his friends being attacked by Bernard.  
Spectra threw Daniel into wall and he didn't get back up.  
How strange that Spectra beat Daniel, she was so much more powerful than the last time he saw her fight.  
Spectra did feed off of negative emotions who ever was feeding her was giving her quite the buffet.  
Then realization hit Vlad, Spectra was feeding off of Kimiko. In the far left corner was a duplicate and Kimiko. He could see the ghost feeding. The tv feed had shorted out. No doubt the tv crew had run off.  
Anger followed threw him. How dare Penelope feed off of his daughter! She was going to regret doing that.  
He felt the black rings run up and down his body as he changed in to his ghost form.  
He phased out of his office and flew towards the high school.  
**This is a line break.**  
Danny wasn't doing well against Spectra. It was like she was super charged. Danny was searching for the new power source and then he found it. It was Kimiko, Vlad's new found 'Daughter'. She was shaking, shivering and sobbing.  
"Sam, Tucker get Kimiko away from Spectra now! She super charging Spectra." Danny yells dodging a punch from the second spectra.  
Sam and Tucker rush over to Kimiko. But Bernard jumps in front of them changing his form to a wolf's.  
Bernard is pushing his friends into a corner.  
"Sam, Tucker!" Danny takes his eyes off Spectra. She slams him into a wall.  
"Poor Phantom not fast enough to save his friends, poor baby." She simpers at him, her smoky foot on his chest.  
A pink blast hits her and a very rage-full Plasimius is floating over her.  
"Plasimius, what are you doing here?" She asks in high pitched voice. "I didn't know you moved here."  
"You have five seconds to leave this town before I rip you limb from limb." He snarls at her.  
Danny stares at Vlad in shock, he hasn't ever seen Vlad this angry not even when he destroyed his clone.  
"Plasmius, I was only teaching the brat some respect. You never cared before." Spectra smiled nervously at Plasmius.  
"Daniel can take care of himself. Do you see that girl, Spectra?" Vlad pointed to Kimiko.

"That girl is my daughter. If I ever see you anywhere near her again I will destroy you, I'll give you to the Fentons to be experimented on, am I being perfectly clear?" Plasmius says this with a manic look in his eye.  
"But she so filling with her feeding me, I'll never need anyone else." Spectra whines.  
Vlad and Danny both shoot her with a ecto-blast.  
She howls in pain.  
"Last chance Spectra, leave now." Plasmius hisses.  
Spectra and Bernard run for their after-lives.  
"Wow!" Tucker whistles.  
"Never thought I see that happen." Sam mutters.  
"She really is your daughter?" Danny asks Vlad.  
"Of course you twit." Vlad quickly transformed back to his human half and walks over to his sobbing, curled up, rocking daughter.  
"Kimiko. . . Kimiko." He awkwardly pats her on the back. Not knowing what to do.  
"Its all my fault, It's my fault she died. I should told her about that thing, Jazsal." She whispered to herself.  
Vlad loses all of the color in his face, so Jazsal had been following his daughter around.  
"Kimiko, how long has Jazsal followed you around?" Vlad urgently asks.  
"Since as long as I could remember. But it could only talk to me and touch me in the past year." She shuttered.  
"That long?" Vlad was being to feel sick.  
"It called me half dead!" Kimiko wailed, shaking badly, her teeth chattering loudly.  
"That why it did it. He wanted to make me half dead."  
Danny and Vlad looked shocked.  
"What do you mean half-dead?" Vlad has a sinking feeling in his gut.  
"I can do it too, what you two can. It happen after the car accident. How is this possible? What the hell is going on?!" Kimiko looks like she going out of her mind. Her bloodshot eyes darting to each of them. Her breathing became erratic.  
"We should talk about this else where. Come on, we can talk in my manor. You already know where it is, Daniel." Vlad turns to face him. Vlad might as well just invite the twit, lord knows he just follow anyway. Besides Vlad wouldn't want the stupid boy to run into Jazsal. Heaven knows the little hero would fight him and die trying. If Daniel and his friends knew about the demon, perhaps it would keep them away from it. All the better, for Vlad he couldn't fight Jazsal with children getting in his way.  
Danny nods.  
"We'll be there."  
**End of chapter 3**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1.**

Vlad sat behind his desk in the study. Kim was sipping her tea, her hands shaking so badly that she was spilling tea everywhere.  
Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat as far away from Kim as possible. To avoid the splashes of hot tea all over them.  
"W-well are you going to tell me?"  
Kimiko demands.  
"Who and what is Jazsal?"  
"I suppose I will start at the beginning. I was in college I was studying Paranormal science and business. With my best friend Jack and my girlfriend Maddie." Vlad started his story.  
"What! My mom was your girlfriend?" Danny shouted.  
"Yes she was my girlfriend, although we ended it before my accident, may I continue now? Or do you not want to know?" Vlad asks annoyed.  
"Yeah, sorry." Danny sits back down.  
"Jack and I were childhood friends. We did everything together, we were like brothers. Then we met Maddie and she join us in our study of ghosts. Jack, Maddie and I had came up with a radical theory of how to connect with the ghost zone or as we had thought the veil of the dead. We designed a portal." Vlad stops to take a breathe.  
"The portal malfunctioned and I got hit in the face with it. It changed my DNA I became half ghost. I was hospitalized for months. And my best friend and girlfriend-ex girlfriend never came to visit, not even my parents came to visit. My parents I expected that to happen, we were never close. But that Jack and Maddie never came. That stung. My father had already disowned me for my paranormal interest. I met Sumiko she was my nurse and we starting dating after I got out of the hospital. My powers were uncontrollable. I couldn't control them." Vlad stops again.  
"I was so angry. That was when I met Jazsal." Vlad stared out the window.  
"Who is Jazsal?" Sam asks.  
"Jazsal was a demon although at the time I thought he was just a ghost. He was charming he told me he could help me with my new powers. I was a fool and I listened to him. I learned from him and I began to fall under his spell and his control." Vlad clenched his fist.  
"What happened next?" Kimiko whispered.  
"Jazsal was fond of me, in his own twisted way. He thought of me as a son. He taught me many things. I used my powers to overshadow my boss to to give my a promotion. Jazsal was so proud of me. He show me how to change my ghost form to my liking."  
Vlad took another breathe.  
"Jazsal took me many times into the ghost zone and I could never fully remember what happened afterwards. Until one time I woke up.  
Jazsal was eating another ghost, I was disturbed by this. I attacked him and he laughed at me. Called me weak, soft hearted. I told him to stop and then he disappeared.  
The ghost was nearly gone, I gave him some of my ectoplasm and he survived. You know him as Skulker." Vlad let silence fall.  
"Jazsal eats people? Sounds like a scary dude." Tucker shivered.  
"Indeed, I sent a year learning how to use my powers and then I went after Jazsal. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I almost died. Your mother was worried when I didn't come home for days and I never wanted her know about any if this. The fight changed me I wasn't a native young man anymore. But I thought I destroyed Jazsal. I was wrong I only weaken him. It seems he's finally gotten back his strength. He found Kimiko and I suspect was feeding off of her." Vlad's eyes glowed.  
"Feeding on me? I suppose that does make sense. I alway got really tried on somedays." Kimiko felt a burning hatred for Jazsal.  
"He must have wanted a stronger food source so he caused your accident. So you would become half ghost." Vlad says.  
"Then why did he eat my mother?!" Kimiko eyes filled with hate.  
"He didn't want to eat you but he needed something to eat. It wasn't your fault Kimiko. Jazsal is the one who is responsible. Not you." Vlad places a hand on her shoulder.  
"Well finish the story." Sam demanded.  
"I distanced myself from Sumiko. Then I got a baby announcement from Maddie and Jack. For your elder sister. I confess I was upset. I felt betrayed, abandoned. My two best friends didn't even invite me to their wedding. I became bitter and angry. I grew away from Sumiko until she finally left me." Vlad stares sadly into his hands.  
"Then Sumiko came to my office and told me she was pregnant. And somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that It might be possible but I couldn't let myself believe it. I convinced myself it was impossible, that I was sterile from the accident. And I was such a fool, Sumiko was right as she usually was."  
"So what are we going to do about Jazsal?" Danny asks.  
"What do mean we? Don't honestly think I'm letting any of you fight Jazsal?" Vlad looks incredulous.  
"I barely made it back alive the last time I fought him. What difference to do you think children make?"  
"You know with Danny and Kimiko you'd stand a better chance against him. And maybe get some of the other ghosts to help us." Sam is thinking hard.  
"I was thinking just Vlad and I because Kimiko only had her powers for what a month?" Danny asks.  
"If you morons think I'm not going to avenge my Mother's death, you thought wrong. I can learn and train. I'm a fast learner. Either you guys train me or I'll do this on my own. With out your help." Kimiko glares at all of them.  
"You kids really aren't going to leave this to me are you? Fine a temporary truce and I expect all of you to train with me. I admit I think I will need the help with destroying Jazsal." Vlad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"Only a temporary truce fruit loop." Danny says to him.  
Vlad groans.  
"I need a drink." And he walks out of the study.  
The four teen sit in awkward silence.  
"Hey listen I'm sorry I was so rude to you before. I was just nervous became you're my archenemy's kid. I was jerk um can you forgive me?" Danny rubs the back of his neck.  
Kimiko is silent thinking about his words.  
"Me too, I was a total bitch before. I was just worried about Danny." Sam look at the ground ashamed.  
"I'm sorry too." Tucker say quickly.  
"You didn't really do anything."Kimiko says to him.  
"Yeah I guess your right I wasn't a jerk." Tucker grins.  
"Two you love birds were though."  
"Thank so much Tucker." Sam say sarcastically.  
"Anytime, I'm here all week." Tucker dodges a book thrown by Sam.  
"Whatever water under the bridge." Kimiko says.  
"Oh cool, so you're half ghost too, huh? I guess V-man, Dani and I aren't the only ones anymore." Danny laughs.  
"Who's Danny? There's two of you?" Kimiko had a feeling she didn't want to know.  
"My girl clone, you don't want to know." Danny tells her.  
"So what does your ghost form look like?" Tucker asks Kimiko.  
Kimiko focuses on her hot core and brings it to the surface. The black rings appear and she changes into her ghost form.  
"Wow, I thought you'd look more like Plasmius, but you look more like Danny expect for the white flame hair." Sam observers.  
"Yeah you're right Sam her ghost form does look like me." Danny walks over to her.  
"All she needs is a Fenton jumpsuit and you'd be set."  
Kimiko tells them.  
"There just street clothes, nothing awesome like yours or D-Vlad's."  
"Well you look pretty badass to me." Sam looks impressed.  
"Thanks." For the first time in a long time Kimiko hung out with live teens and had some fun. They played the video games in her room and joked it was a nice change from feeling so afraid and depressed all the time. Kimiko tucked the guilty feeling for having fun away into the back of her mind.  
**This is a line break.**

Tucker was button mashing wildly. His character slowly dying.  
Sam snickered at Tucker's tears and wails of his precious tech betraying him.  
Danny let out a whoop.  
"Oh yeah! I won!"  
"I can't believe you've never played super smash bros!" Sam exclaimed to Kimiko.  
"Yeah I was more of a Legend of Zelda fan. I like zombie games. I have a bunch. Like Dead space, the first time I tried playing it, I dropped the control because it scared me so much. I'm much better now though." Kimiko says hesitantly.  
"Wait, Dead space? That freaky space zombie game? You have it? How? Isn't rated M?" Tucker was almost drooling at the thought of playing it.  
"Yeah but m-my mom bought it for me. She said as long as I didn't play to late, or freaky myself out I could play it." Kimiko's voice wavered.  
"Your mom sounded pretty cool." Danny put a hand on Kim's shoulder.  
"Yeah she was." Kim looked at the ground.  
"Hey! Why don't we play Dead Space? I've always wanted to play it." Sam says cheerfully.  
"Yeah I've only dreamed about this day forever." Tucker pushed the controller into Kim's hands.  
"Yeah okay, but if we play you have to turn the lights off its like a rule." Kim grins.  
Danny flicks off the lights.  
Kimiko puts in the disk.  
The game intro starting. The creepy lullaby of Twinkle, twinkle little star came on. Sending shivers down everybody's spines.  
Kim clicked on new game.  
They watched the opening cut scene with great attention.  
Isaac boarding the ship. His two crew mates getting separated from him.  
Kimiko watched the screen carefully for the telltale sign that a Necromorph was going to attack. All three of the amity park trio eyes were glued to the screen. Kimiko grinned when the monster jumped out and attacked her character.  
Tucker let out a high pitched scream. Sam spit out her drink.  
Danny fell off the couch.  
Kimiko snickered.  
"That was my first reaction to the game."  
"You guys have no idea how glad I am that I don't have to deal with that. I'm totally happy with our ghosts." Danny sighed with relief.  
"Those things are gross!" Sam gagged.  
"Guys we have to watch something happy or I'm gonna have nightmares." Tucker shuttered.  
Kimiko turned off the game.  
"Have you guys seen Howl's moving castle?"  
"Nope, I never have time for movies. I haven't seen a new movie since the lady monster trio." Danny slumped.  
"I have!" Tucker perked up.  
"It's great! I vote for it."  
Sam shrugged.  
"As long as it doesn't have any pink princesses I'm game."  
Kimiko took out her dead space disk and put in the DVD.  
The screen flicked to life.  
**This is a line break. **  
The credits rolled.  
Tucker sniffed, pulling out a tissue to wipe at his eyes.  
"That was even better the second time around."  
"Wow, I really have to watch more of this Hayao Miyazaki guy." Sam was impressed.  
"I loved it, it was like a reverse beauty and the beast." Danny smiled.  
Kimiko nodded. If the three like Hayao Miyazaki, then maybe she should give them another chance. After all it wasn't like she could find more teens who understood the dead or who were half dead, by the dime a dozen. She should at least make an effort to make friends with them.  
A friend slap on the shoulder broke Kimiko out of her thoughts.  
"Now I have an ally in introducing quality anime to Danny and Sam. Have you seen Attack on Titan?" Tucker was gleeful at the prospect of another animation fan.  
Kimiko smirked then answered.  
"Does potato girl like potatoes? Yes I have seen Attack on titan it's my favorite."  
Tucker squealed before breaking out into the theme song of Attack on titan.  
Kimiko joined him.  
"You guys are weird." Danny shook his head.  
Sam snickered at them.  
"Nerds!"  
"Netflix is great for free time." Tucker replied.  
"I guess you jerks aren't as bad as I thought." Kimiko admits.  
"Sorry that I jumped the gun, why don't we all just start over." Danny held out a hand.  
"Hi, my name is Danny Fenton."  
Kimiko shook Danny's hand.  
Tucker pushed Danny out of the way.  
"And I'm Tucker Foley, smart guy of the group." Sam rolled her eyes.  
"Sam Manson, the voice of reason. I think it be fun to have another girl to hang out with. Boys can be so boyish." Sam made a ridiculous face at the end. The two girls snickered.  
"Hey!" Danny and Tuckee cried in mock outrage.  
"Nice to meet all of you. I'm Kimiko, but friends can call me Kim or Kimmy." Kimiko tells them.  
Tucker looked at his watch.  
"Crap it's already ten, we should be getting home."  
They four teens exchanged goodbyes.

**this is a line break. **  
Vlad should have know that Kimiko could be come a half ghost, he didn't know why he didn't think his DNA wouldn't have side affects.  
Any prolong contact or exposure would've brought out her dormant Ghost DNA.  
Vlad stared at the blood sample from Kimiko. Her blood was even more stable then Daniel's and far more complete than ether of Daniel's or his own.  
Kimiko was a prefect hybrid, Danielle second in stability. Daniel was a close third his accident was far more stable then his. He was far more stable now after he blackmailed Daniel into curing his ecto-ache.  
Vlad had never really thought he could have children and he didn't think Daniel would be able to . . . But Vlad had. And Kimiko was perfectly healthy except for her mental health due her mother's death. But then again who wouldn't have some issues if they saw their mother being eaten. And the fact she was half alive of course.  
Perhaps Daniel and Kimiko would let him take a real sample next time, considering he did have to take both samples while they were sleeping.  
"That did not sound right. Maybe Daniel is right. I really am a crazy fruit loop." Vlad says to himself.  
As Vlad thought back on his life, he noticed how much he wasted on anger, jealously, and pinning for things he could never really reach. He wasted his time and effort on stupid things.  
He never really saw what was really in front of him all long.  
Sumiko, he was the biggest of fool for letting her slip away. And not being able to have seen Kimiko grow up.  
He took a long swig from his drink.  
He had held on to these things, for far too long.  
Anger, Maddie, Jack, Daniel, maybe it was time to really forgive and time to really forget, to let go. He didn't want to admit it but he had missed his best friend Jack Fenton. Vladimir Masters wanted to change, to be different. He wanted to be happy. To be a father, and maybe just maybe Kimiko could help him with that.  
**End of chapter 4**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was kind of nice talking and hanging out with people her own age that didn't bully or tease her. School was tolerable with Danny, Tucker, Valerie the hunter girl who didn't know Danny's secret, Sam, and Jazz.  
Watching her back, and Danny helping her along with Vlad on how to use her ghost powers.  
She had the basics down at least.  
She bit into her cheese burger.  
"Dude no way! Star Wars is the best!" Tucker agued with Jazz.

"No way, Star Trek has Spock." Jazz protested.

"Kim back me up, Star Wars is the best." Tucker turned to Kimiko.

"Star Wars has Boba Fett, Darth Maul, Darth Vader, and Jedi. So I because I'm a nerd about Star Wars. Star Wars is the best!" Kimiko high fived Tucker's out stretched hand.

"I'm so glad you moved here, these ignorant people have no idea how awesome tmy fandoms are." Tucker wrapped an arm around Kimiko.

"So what do you call your ghost half? Vlad calls his Plasmius, I call mine Phantom." Danny stuffs some more fries in his mouth, asking a question that would distract from the nerdy talk .  
"Shade, cause it sounds cool, badass." Kimiko answers.  
"That's a pretty awesome name." Sam bites into her veggie burger.  
"Yeah it gives you shivers down the spine." Jazz agrees.  
"Seconded. I still can't get over the fact that you're swearing, not using your dad's lame swears." Tucker snickers, not very intelligible from all the burger in his mouth.  
"Like butter biscuit, sugar cookies, stuff like that."  
"Seriously, that's is so lame. Who swears like that?" Kimiko made a face.  
"It's Vlad he's a fruit loop." Danny explains simply.  
"So why do Jazz, Sam, and I have to train with you guys?" Tucker swallows.  
"That was my idea. When I used to follow up on Phantom back home. I always noticed you guys getting kidnaped by his enemies all the time, you need to learn to defend yourselves better." Kimiko says to them.  
"Wait hold up? Oh my God you're Phan! Like father like daughter huh." Tucker started laughing.  
"Must be heritary to be obsessed with you right Danny?"  
Kimiko's face turns a very bright red.  
"I was not obsessed!" Kimiko glares at Tucker.  
"Did you save all his pictures and put them in a book? Oh how about, did you ever try and summon him? I read a that a couple of phans tried that." He laughed again.  
Kimiko is quiet.  
"You did do those things?" Jazz says Her lips twitching into a smile.  
"It was only one wall of articles and picture of the town of amity park. And no, summoning him didn't work." Kimiko blushed.  
"You tried to summon him?" Sam gapes.  
"Yeah I've done it to other ghost or Sprits. I was so disappointed when it didn't work but I guess now I know why." Kimiko avoided their gazes.  
"Why didn't it work?" Danny asks.  
"Because I wanted a ghost boy not a half ghost boy." Kimiko says.  
"I was lonely, no one really liked me, I only wanted someone my age to talk to and you seemed like good pick."  
"Oh well thanks." Danny smiles.  
"Nice to now not everyone hates me."  
"Who else did you summon?" Sam looks interested.  
"Just ghost from different time periods to help me with home work." Kimiko shrugs.  
"That sounds really cool." Danny and Sam say together.  
"Yeah, it was kinda fun." Kimiko grins.  
"This training is going to be so weird." Danny says.  
"Why? Do you guys not like Vlad?" Kimiko asks.  
"Well we are arch enemies. And most of the time he wants to kill my dad, marry my mom, and me as his son/ evil groupie. And he cloned me. Oh and he can be a total crazy fruit loop that seriously needs a cat." Danny says.  
"Hey who knows, maybe with Kimiko in his life. He can finally let go of the past and stop living such an unhealthy lifestyle." Jazz tells them.  
"I'll believe that when I see it." Danny snorted.  
"Wow." Kimiko almost didn't believe them. Almost.  
"That is weird. Okay I have to know from the true source all of the crazy stuff that happened here."  
"Sure, it's nice to tell someone who won't judge or freak out."  
Danny grinned.

"Well the most common ghost that attacks is the box ghost." Danny shakes his head.

Kimiko blinked.

"Oh I've met him, he sure likes his boxes. Granny Cho got rid of him really quick."

"You've met some of Amity Park's ghosts?" Jazz raised an eyebrow.

"Only that one, any supernatural hunter who knows their stuff though knows he's harmless. The box ghost is like a right of passage for young hunters. Dangerous but not enough to kill anyone." Kimiko explained. "Plus the guys is super good at finding rips in the veil, portals if you will."

"Hunters?" Danny looked startled.

"I guess you guys wouldn't know them, but they kinda police the magical world. Hunt down creatures that kill for fun, granny Cho actually said they looked into you but deemed the phantom of Amity Park harmless." Kimiko looked to Danny.

"But yeah, hunters mainly protect, sometimes it's the monsters from the humans. Granny cho is a hunter, but before my m-mother died I was only just beginning my training." Kimiko looked down at her plate. Then looked up a forced grin plastered on her face.

"So what you're telling us is that there's a whole magical world out there? And not just ghosts?" Jazz looked intrigued.

"Oh yeah, most people just rationalize it, or pretend they don't see it. But t's out there, Wizards, witches, were-wolves, vampires, all types of ghosts, elves, dragons, a bunch of different creatures out there. Don't you guys already known? I mean you are related to George Fenton, he was like the best hunter out there. Even until he died." Kimiko furrowed her eyebrows together.

"Wait you're saying Jazz and my grandfather is some famous supernatural hunter?" Danny grinned.

"Wow!" Danny and Jazz mutter.

"You guys didn't know?" Kimiko was shocked.

"More like tuned my dad out anytime he started ranting about stuff." Danny shrugged.

Jazz nodded.

"Dad could've mention something about it, but we just ignored him who knows, maybe Dad did say something about it."

"Hey? Think I could become a hunter?" Tucker grinned.

"Sure, you already have experience with the supernatural." Kimiko popped a fire into her mouth.

"And you seem pretty logical, that a big factor in hunting. Being able to think clearly is what make the different between a great hunter and a good one."

Tucker pumped a fist in the air.

"Sweet! I'm so glad you moved here." Kimiko grinned.

"It is a dream come true for me, from the moment I heard about this town. I begged my mom to move us here. Mom always said we couldn't because of work reasons but I think it was because of Vlad."

"Well you sure do know more about the supernatural then any of us. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually think this supernatural stuff might be fun learning about." Jazz admits.

Danny, Sam and Tucker all mockingly gasp in horror.

"Jazz has finally joined the dark side. Should I tell mom and dad of your new found interest in the paranormal?" Danny teased.

"Danny, don't you dare!" Jazz glares at him.

Everyone snickers at Jazz's horror Of her parents finding out she willingly wanted to learn about the supernatural.

**This is a line break.**

**"**Kimiko, Jazzimine has invited us to dinner tomorrow. I told her we would come." Vlad cuts his steak.

"Yeah, okay. I actually want to meet this Jack guy. He's related to the famous hunter George Fenton!" Kimiko waved her fork around while she talked.

"Yes I knew that, I did meet George. He was Jack's father." Vlad told her.

"Awesome." Kimiko grinned. Vlad stared awkwardly at her before asking about school.

"So how is school?"

Kimiko frowned.

"It's better than my last school, I have actually friends. Plus no one knows about how weird I am at this school. Cause everyone here is weird, weird stuff happens every day. People don't look at me like I'm a freak, that's nice. And classes are pretty good, I'm learning stuff."

Vlad nodded.

"That's good isn't?"

"Yeah it is." kimiko fell silent her mind elsewhere.

Vlad debated wether or not he should attempt to start another conversation.

"Do you want to watch a movie? After dinner?" Kimiko blurted out, she hadn't meant to but Thursday nights had always been movies night at the Nao household. And Kimiko was missing her mother. Maybe having a movie night would be like her mother was still there. After all her mother put Vlad in her will. Kimiko should make an effort to get to know her father.

"Yes, yes I would." Vlad found himself agreeing despite all of the papers he needed to still sign.

"I do have a home theater."

"Great, so what kind of movies do you have?" Kimiko finished the last of her food on her plate.

"The woman in white, it's a ghost story. Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Thelma and Louise, Kate and Leopold, while you were sleeping." Vlad began to list his large number of DVDs.

"Kate and Leopold, it's my favorite." Kimiko said at once.

"Its one of my favorites too." Vlad admits.

"You must have gotten your good taste in movies from me." Kimiko grinned.

Vlad raised an amused eyebrow.

"Isn't it suppose to be that you got your go us taste in movies from me?"

Kimiko snickered.

"No way, I'm just naturally gifted when it comes to picking awesome movies. Do you have any ice cream?"

Vlad paused thinking about it.

"I believe I do, I have butter pecan ice cream."

Kimiko made a face.

"That's old people ice cream, but I guess old people ice cream is better then no ice cream at all."

Vlad looked offended.

"Butter pecan is a perfectly respectable flavor of ice cream."

"Uh huh, sure it is." Kimiko snickered.

"Keep up the sass young lady and I won't give you any at all." Vlad strode from the dinning room.

Kimiko blinked.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

**this is a line break.**

Kimiko couldn't breathe, she was being squeezed so tight. She dropped to the floor.  
As the orange monstrosity went after her father.  
"V-man how ya doing!" Jack Fenton grabbed her father.  
"I'm doing well." Vlad wheezes out.  
"I can't believe you have a daughter V-man. Now you can join the proud father club." Jack is still hugging Vlad. Jack pulled out a wallet filled with pictures of Danny and Jazz all ages.  
"Jack, Jack I can't breathe. I can't breathe." Vlad wheezes again.  
Jack lets Vlad go.  
"You're going to have to tell me everything about it, Vladdie." Jack led them both into the kitchen.  
"So Vlad has a daughter imagine that." Maddie narrows her eyes at Kimiko.  
"Who is your mother?"  
"Sumiko Nao." Kimiko narrows her eyes back.  
"When is your mother coming? Didn't she come with you?" Maddie demands.  
"My mother's dead, she died last month." Kimiko didn't like Maddie Fenton.  
"Well you really are a good actress. How much did Vlad pay you to play his daughter? You tell him I'm sick of his games. I have a husband and I will never get with him." Maddie hisses at her.  
"I'm not an actress, And guess what? My dad's finally moved on from you. Not like you were that special, lady. My mom was worth ten of you." Kimiko hisses back.  
Kimiko didn't really know weather or not Vlad really had moved on but hopeful he wouldn't act a total ass and hit on her.  
"Mom you were supposed tell us when Kimiko got here." Jazz came down the stairs just in time to diffuse the rising tension Between the teenager and the older woman.  
"Hi Kimiko, come on Danny's upstairs." Jazz grabbed Kimiko's hand and lead her up the stairs.  
They walked to Danny's room and closed the door. The room was covered in NASA stuff.  
"Hey!" Danny sat up from his bed.  
"Hi." Kimiko waved.  
"So I noticed Vlad was being guniuie towards Dad." Jazz claps her hands.  
"That's progress."  
"Yeah." Danny admitted.  
"You're parents don't know about you being a ghost?" Kimiko asks.  
Danny and Jazz exchange guilty looks.  
"No they don't. I mean they're always screaming about wanting to tear me up molecule by molecule. So no I haven't told them yet." Danny fists are balled.  
"That sucks." Kimiko says with empathy.  
"Yeah, it kinda of does." Danny agrees.  
"Kids, dinner's ready!" Bellowed Jack.  
"We're coming Dad." Jazz called down to him.  
"Let's go then." Danny leads the way down the stairs, to the kitchen.  
Kimiko sits down next to Vlad.  
"Oh you're going to love my Jambalaya and breadsticks, it was always Vladdie's favorite." Jack grins at Vlad and Kimiko.  
Vlad takes a spoonful.  
"Wonderful Jack, I have missed your cooking. I can never get the spice for Jambalaya quite right." Vlad says.  
"Don't be to hard on yourself V-man. Beside you and Kimmy should come over more often." Jack invited with a grin.  
Maddie looks furious at the invitation.  
"I'll make more of an effort to come visit." Vlad assures Jack.  
Jack and Vlad began to reminiss about their childhood together.  
For the first time in long time Vlad was having fun talking to his old friend.  
"Oh yeah Vlad pretty much lived at my house, my parents used to joke he was my brother." Jack claps Vlad on the back.  
"Yes we used to joke our children would be the best of friends, maybe even marry each other, so then we'd be real brother." Vlad snickered.  
Danny and Kimiko exchanged worried glances.  
"Not to worry Kimiko, Daniel is in love with his little friend Samantha." Vlad smirks.  
"I am not! Why does everyone think that." Danny blushes.  
"You're joking right?" Kimiko asks disbelievingly.  
"Who doesn't think that?"  
"Me thinks the boy doesth protest to much." Vlad smirked and Jack burst out laughing.  
"So Kimmy, tell me about yourself." Jack booms.  
"Uh . . . I . . . like to play the piano. And . . . I like to practice my marital arts, track . . . and I like to learn about ghosts and the supernatural. It's so cool that your dad was George Fenton." Kimiko stutters nervously to him.  
"That's great, I'll bet you'll make a great ghost hunter. Take after V-man. My old man was the best in the business pretty old fashioned though." Jack beams.  
"Jack it's getting late and it's a school night." Maddie say primly as she washes the dishes.  
"Oh . . . right, time to put the kiddies to bed." Jack slumps.  
"Why don't you walk us to the front door Jack." Vlad suggests.  
"Bye Danny, Jazz. See you tomorrow." Kimiko waves good bye to them.  
They walk to the front door.  
Jack grabbed them both into a big group hug.  
"Don't be strangers Vlad. Come over more often." Jack tells his best friend.  
"I will, tomorrow why don't you and I go to the sport grill and watch the Packers game?" Vlad asks him.  
"It'll be just like the good old times."  
"Of course Vlad. I'd love too." Jack is bouncing with excitement.  
"Good night, Jack." The father and daughter returned to their house.  
**This is a line break.**  
Kimiko woke in a cold sweat. She had the nightmare again. She wiped the tears off of her face.  
She tries to go back to sleep but it wasn't going to happen.  
Kimiko wished she had her mother so badly.  
Kimiko got out of bed and left her room. Wandering around threw out the big house.  
She finally found the kitchen. The light was already on, Vlad sat on the stool by the counter. He was drinking a cup of warm milk. His hair free of its usual ponytail, wearing his pajamas.  
He looked up.  
"Kimiko? What are you doing up?"  
"I . . . I had a nightmare." Kimiko hides behind her long curtain of hair.  
"Would . . . would you care to talk about it?" Vlad asks tentivally.  
Kimiko was silent then spoke.  
"It always starts out the same, Mom and I are having fun. It's nice, then Jazsal shows up and starts eating mom. And she always looks at me like I failed her. And she screams at me why couldn't I save her. And each time I try but she keeps dieing. No matter what I do. She always ends up being eaten by him." Kimiko's bottom lip quivers.  
"Jazsal will pay for what he did. Your mother loves you, she wouldn't want you to blame yourself the fault is Jazsal's and Jazsal's alone. It wasn't your fault." Vlad pushes back her hair and looks into her eyes.  
"It wasn't your fault."  
Kimiko rest her head on Vlad's chest and begins to sob. Vlad wraps his arms around her. After a couple of minutes of crying, Kimiko stops.  
Vlad wipes her tears away.  
"Why don't we watch a movie in the theatre room."  
"Okay but anything but the Packers documentary." Kimiko sniffs.  
"Alright. No Packers movie." Vlad agrees. "I'm actually kind of sick of it."

**End of chapter 5**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1. **

"It took me long time to master all of my powers. So today we will begin out first training session. If I tell you to stop, you will listen or I will not teach you. So lets begin." Vlad lectures the teens.  
"We'll start with the basics for everyone. Jazzimine, Tucker, and Samantha, you will be learning when to hide, run and basic weapon training.  
Daniel and Kimiko you will be learning to completely master Invisibility, intangibility, flight, overshadowing, and Ecto-rays."  
"Okay, let's do this!" Kimiko fixes a determined look on her face.  
"Daniel, Kimiko practice staying Invisible as long as you can while I go and teach the three over there." Vlad walks off. Danny and Kimiko transform and both turn invisible.  
They snickered at three trainees. Getting lectured by Vlad.  
"I think I liked the fruit loop better when he was an archenemy." Tucker whispered.  
Vlad slapped him upside the head.  
"Go run a lap."  
Tuck jumps up at the look Vlad was giving him and starts to jog.  
"You two go practice your aim with the ecto guns." Vlad waved Jazz and Sam away.  
Training was successful.  
As much as Danny hated to admit it. Vlad knew what he was talking about. And he was a very good teacher. Things that used to be hard for Danny were now easy.  
Kimiko was improving faster even then Danny. But then again Danny supposed he didn't have the drive Kimiko did. Danny didn't know what would happen if he lost his family. Well he did technically the whole Dan thing. But he wanted to help Kimiko.  
Danny shook his head so he could hear Vlad's lecture on Ghost cores.  
"All ghosts, spirits, shades, and ghouls have one. Hot, cold, or just ectoplasmic. I am a hot core, Danny is a Cold core. And Kimiko is a Hot core as well." Vlad strode to his closed ghost portal.  
"Doubtless Danny has met ghost with all of these cores. Frost Bite Cold core, Dora a hot core, the box ghost is a Ectoplasmic core."  
"What about Undergrowth, Nocturne, Vortex and Clockwork? I heard the first three are crazy powerful. All the ghost say so." Danny interrupts.  
Vlad pauses.  
"Undergrowth is a plant core, but it is a hot core. Nocturne is cold core. Vortex is a dual core. And the time master? Have you actually met him?"  
"Yeah." Danny shrugged like it was no big deal.  
"It seems you have explored the ghost zone more then I have given you credit for." Vlad raised an eyebrow.  
"Cold cores deal with ice and water. Hot cores with fire and lighting. Kimiko and I will work on her hot core. And Daniel will work on his ice." Kim and Danny nodded.  
Danny flew off on his own.  
"Now will work on making flames and controlling it. Lighting will come later." Vlad summoned a red ghostly flame into his hand.  
Kim concentrated on her hand willing the flames to appear. They but they were green not red like her father's.  
The training that week went well, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all more confident after training with the Anti-ghost weapons and cardio.  
Danny had some trouble with the ice mostly because he was the only ice core. But his basics were now the best they had ever been.  
Kimiko was a fast learner she mastered the basics motivated by her quest on taking Jazsal down. And her ghostly fire was coming along nicely.  
Things got interesting after Kimiko discovered her nails could grow and she ripped a portal into the air.  
It shocked everyone.  
They froze in what they were doing and stared at the newly formed glowing portal.  
Kimiko was curious she had about the ghost Zone from some of her childhood ghost friends. But to actually see it was amazing.  
It felt like she was home, the Ghost zone drew her to it like she belonged there.  
The portal weaken, as it flashed closed.  
"Dude! You're like wulf, you can open portals with your nails." Tucker was opened mouthed with awe. Along with the others.  
"Man, why can't I do that? That would be super useful." Danny half joked.  
Kimiko looked down at her shaking hands to expect her new black nails. Four inches long right now. But if she focused she could retract them.  
Her vision blurred and she swayed.  
Vlad was by her side in seconds.  
"That's enough practice today. You are all tried and need some rest. I'll show you out."

**This is a line break.**

Vlad walked the teens out to the front door. Surprised when Daniel told his sister and friends to go on ahead.  
"Hey Vlad, if this is some sort of trick, I just want you to know you'll regret it. If anyone gets hurt because of you, I'll tell my parents about both of us." Danny's eyes flashed his eire green as he glared at Vlad.  
Vlad cleared his throat.  
"Daniel I-I would like to apologize to you for my behavior. I see now it was stupid and foolish of me to think that way. I am the adult and I should have behaved like one."  
Danny stared at the older man with confusion.  
Vlad continued on.  
"I will, from now now on stop making you feel uncomfortable around me. I would like to start over with you Daniel. If you'd like?"  
Danny stared long and hard at Vlad.  
"You know when you brought Kimiko here at first I assumed the worst. But I seen you around her and I can see a change. And let's face it I'm sometimes a brat to be around when I want to. So yeah starting over would be nice." Danny held out his hand.  
"Hi I'm Danny Fenton, nice to me you."  
Vlad shook the teen's hand.  
"I'm Vlad masters, I'm pleased to meet you."  
They both smiled.  
This is a line break.  
"When can I go into the ghost zone?" Kim pounced on her father the moment he came back.  
"The ghost zone? Kimiko it's far to dangerous for you to go into the ghost zone right now." Vlad sighed.  
"But it's the only place I've ever felt safe, or at home. Not even for a little bit? I have to see it, my half-life will never be complete if I don't." Kimiko dramatized but she could still feel the draw and need to visit the ghost zone. It was compulsive and an itch she just had to scratch.  
"No. That's my final word on the matter." Vlad said flatly.  
Kimiko pouted.  
"I'm going to bed, we'll both have long days tomorrow." Vlad bid Kim goodnight leaving for his room.  
With a sigh Kim also went to bed.

**This is a line break.**

The bell shrilled into the air.  
Kimiko lagged behind the three friends.  
"School is so boring. I wish Vlad would've home schooled me." Kim complained.  
"Yep." Tucker agreed.  
"Get use to it, it's not going to get any better." Sam muttered.  
"Hey Kim we're going to the ghost zone this afternoon. Wanna come?" Danny offered.  
"Yes!" Kimiko jumped.  
Three looked at each other in surprised.  
"What?" Kimiko demanded them.  
"Nothing it's just we didn't think you'd get so excited about it." Danny smiled.  
"Oh, well I can't wait to see it." Kimiko looked at the clock.  
"So only two hours until school ends, I'll meet you guys after school."

**This is a line break.**

Kimiko all but ran out the classroom doors not waiting to hear the teacher's book curse.  
"Holy hunger games! Miss Nao don't run in the hallways."  
She was tapping her foot impatiently waiting for the other three to get there.  
The ghost zone, she was finally going to get to go there. She pushed down her guilt at not listening to Vlad. But who was he to keep her out of the ghost zone? Okay maybe it was a bad idea. Jazsal was still out there after all. But she so badly wanted to go there.  
"Hey Kim." Danny called as Sam and Tucker followed him over to her.  
"Ready to go?"  
Kimiko nodded.  
"Cool lets start walking over." Danny starting to walk in the direction of his house.  
It was a short trip to Danny's house.  
Danny opened the front door wearily. Peaking his head in then motioning it was safe to keep going.  
They entered the house.  
A huge orange shape descended on Kimiko grabbing her into a giant bear hug.  
"Nice to see you again Kimmy! It's game night, Packer's are on tonight! I found your dad's and my old cheese head hats." Jack waved the cheese shaped hat into the air with his free hand.  
Kimiko wheezed.  
"Uh Dad mind putting my friend down before she loses all her air?" Danny put a hand on his hip.  
Jack let go of Kim.  
"Glad you found your hats, Mr. Fenton." Kimiko took a breath.  
"Call me Uncle Jack, we're family." Jack slapped Kimiko on the back.  
Kim looked astonished.  
"Sure thing Uncle Jack, I've never had an uncle before."  
Jack winked.  
"That's okay I've never had a niece before. Now who wants to hear about ghost?" Jack grined.  
"Uh no sorry dad we have homework." Danny quickly pushed his friends to the stairs.  
"Rain check Uncle Jack." Kimiko called.  
They climbed the stairs and locked Danny's door after them.  
"That was close we might gotten stuck with him for hours."  
"Why would that be so bad? Your dad's research is interesting." Kim looked at the three disbelieving faces.  
"Seriously? Most people only think mom's is any good." Danny gapped.  
"Haven't any of you read the doctors Fentons' work? I mean your mom has great stuff but your dad is actually very astute with old style ghost hunting. And he knows all of this archaic stuff. Most of his inventions are the old ways made a thousand times better." Kimiko sighed at the blank faces.  
"Wow you learn something new every day." Tucker got elbowed by Sam.  
"Uh let's just not talk about my parents, so tour of the ghost zone?" Danny turned to Kimiko who nodded.  
"Great then follow me, it's four o'clock my parents are never in the lab right now." Danny grabbed Sam and sunk threw the floor.  
Tucker and Kimiko looked at each other.  
"So I guess we hold hands?" Kimiko looked at him uncertainly.  
"Yeah." Tucker said awkwardly.  
"Don't worry we get revenge on the love birds for ditching us later." Tucker promised.  
Kimiko smirked.  
"That should be fun." She grabbed his hand and concentrated on becoming intangible.  
She felt a airless sensation as she and Tuck fell threw the two stories into the basement lab.  
"Took you guys long enough." Sam teased.  
Kimiko looked at Tucker.  
"I bet you guys went down here for a quick make out session."  
Danny and Sam both flushed bright red.  
"Yeah you two love birds." Tucker snickered.  
"We're not love birds!" They both shouted over Tucker's and Kim's loud tittering.  
"Whatever lets go then." Danny says grumpily at the two laughing teens.  
They both grin at him.  
"Sam and me will take the spectral  
Speeder." Tucker climbed into a hovering vehicle. Sam stomped in as well.  
Danny switched forms two white rings forming around his middle.  
Kimiko followed suit.  
Her feet disappeared into a tail.  
"Come on let's go." Danny lead the way into the ominous permanent portal.

**This is a line break.**

"Okay and that was Dora's kingdom." Danny finished talking.  
"I like Dora she's cool. I can't belief you swung from the chandler." Kimiko directed to Sam who nodded proudly.  
"I'm also helping to promote feminism over there as well."  
"Awesome." Kim nodded back.  
"Hey Danny look at the map, I've got bingo with my grams at five." Sam looks at Danny who fumbles to open up his map.  
"Yeah and I'm dying of starvation over here. I missed my four o'clock feeding. Man! I knew I should have taken some of the fudge your dad offered." Tucker clutched his growling stomach.  
Danny studied his map muttering over the next few minutes.  
"Danny are we lost or are you just playing lost in the ghost zone again." Sam glared at Danny.  
"What? No, no we're not lost." Danny laughs nervously.  
"We have my expertly drawn map of the ghost zone."  
He waved the large piece of paper around.  
Kimiko stuck her head into the speeder.  
"He's lost isn't he." She says flatly to the two humans.  
"Yep." They answer in unison.  
"Thought so." Kim sighed.  
"I should have nicked Vlad's map it's at least more cohesive than Danny's scribbles."  
"Hey! Will you guys stop complaining. Let's be a little more positive here. It's just around this swirling pool of pain and despair, then past Sulker's island or is it ember's lair?" Danny loses the argument right there.  
"Hey let's follow those two ghosts." He points to two green sheet ghosts.  
Kimiko shrugs.  
"Not like there's any thing else to do."  
Danny shot off after the two ghosts.  
The three exchange looks before following Danny into an icy tunnel.  
They caught up with Danny.  
"See these guys know where they're going." Danny assured them before slamming into a large spike of ice.  
The speeder crashed due to Sam watching Danny. They fell into a pit.  
Kimiko blinked.  
"That was a total epic fail guys."  
She snicker down to them as she flew to join them.  
Danny sat up wiping snow of the top of his head.  
"Hey everybody okay?"  
"You mean besides being almost killed, frozen and hopelessly lost?" Sam folded her arms.  
"We're so great."  
Kimiko pulled the two out of the speeder as Danny groaned.  
"My parents are going to kill me, again."  
A loud roar sounded.  
"Your parents aren't the only ones!" Sam pointed at a large furry angry yeti type creature with an ice arm.  
"This sucks." Kimiko groaned.  
"Anybody else reminded of star wars right now? I'm not gonna end up like Luke."  
"Nice boy?" Danny tries and fails to placate the beast.  
It slams it mighty fists into the ground.  
And charges again.  
"We come in peace!?" Danny yells as he lunges to the ground to avoid the sharp claws.  
Danny forces ecto- energy into his hands and knocks the beast back into an ice hill.  
"Run away guys. Let's get out of here."  
Kimiko grabbed Tucker and Sam, lifting them up with her.  
"Um ... Can you take Sam? I don't think I can carry and fight with both of them." Kimiko stared nervously at the now standing monster.  
It threw back its arm and a icicle went flying at Kimiko, Tucker, and Sam.  
Kimiko on instinct let loose a wave of green flames that melted the ice into a harmless puddle.  
The yeti growled even more at the sight of Kimiko's flames.  
But Danny shot more Ecto- beams at the thing so he focused his attention back on Danny.  
Kimiko narrowed her eyes at the monster, who might not be a monster after all.  
"Danny there's something on his back. Like a huge icicle, there's a lot of ectoplasm."  
Danny smacked his forehead.  
"Duh! Are you Frostbite? Look sorry for intruding but we can help you take care of that wound." The Yeti froze.  
His eyes lost the wild look.  
"The pain is too much, please help if you can." The yeti sank onto his knees.  
Kimiko set the two humans down.  
"Danny does the speeder have a first aid kit?"  
Sam was the one who answered.  
"Yeah I'll get it."  
Kimiko moved closer to the yeti to look at his back.  
She grimaced at the sight it was a festering wound, the icicle was covered dark green ectoplasm.  
"I could try cleaning it and pull out the icicle."  
"That would be most appreciated my lady." The yeti says weakly.  
Sam stumbled over to her holding out a red bag.  
"Thanks Sam, Danny come here and help me pull this icicle out." Danny shuffled over to her.  
Kimiko pulled out bandages and a thick gaze.  
"Okay your hands are steadier then mine. So I need you to pull out the ice and I'll put pressure on the wound." Kimiko orders Danny.  
"Right okay. On the count of three?" Danny looks down at Kimiko.  
She nods.  
Danny grips the ice, it was slippery from the ectoplasm. He breathed in then out. He pulled the ice as hard as he could. It came out with a sickening slurping sound. Kimiko quickly pressed the gaze onto the wound. And wrapped it with the bandages.  
"Tell your parents they need antibiotic cream in there." Kimiko sighs as she points to the kit.  
She tied the last bandage tight to help slow the bleeding.  
"That was pretty cool." Tucker grinned.  
"I guess, first aid should go next on training day." Kimiko joked.  
"That's a great idea, we should do it next time." Sam stills her shaking hands.  
"Thank you, you are all most kind." The yeti pants softly.  
"And I am called Frostbite."  
Frostbite struggled to his feet.  
Kimiko pursed her lips in disapproval. She didn't think the yeti should be standing yet.  
Frostbite's eyes landed on Danny, his face lit up. He swept Danny and Kimiko into a bone breaking hug.  
"This is indeed an exciting day to be saved by the savior of the ghost zone and his allies."  
Danny made a good impression of deer in the head lights.  
"Wait are you talking about me? Psh, I'm no savior." Sam and Tucker's jaw dropped.  
"Wait I thought you knew?" Kimiko looked to Danny.  
"That's all anything the ghosts I talked to back home would talk about. You beat the King Pariah Dark. He's like one of the most infamous ghost around. He died in the dark ages, then just took over the ghost zone. A lot of ghosts consider you a hero."  
"Umm no, no I didn't. Is that why less ghosts attacked on the way into the ghost zone? Cause it did seem weird when none of them did." Danny rubbed his chin.  
Frostbite set the two down, eyeing Kimiko with interest.  
"You are humble, oh great one. I Frostbite, leader of the far frozen am at your service." He bowed to Danny. Danny shifted uncomfortably.  
"Look, I just did what was right. I mean I couldn't let the ghost king start a war and return to his tyranical rule."  
"No you are to modest, come I will feed your humans and you and your fellow ghost friend can rest." Frostbite beckoned the teens forward to follow him.

**This is a line break.**

Danny and his friends sat at the head of the table in seats of honor by Frostbite.  
"Eat, eat, I made sure your food is from the human world." Frostbite encouraged Sam and Tucker.  
They looked doubtfully down at the food. They both took bites of their food. They nodded in approval it wasn't bad. Danny was being crowding by yetis all wanting to speak with him.  
Frostbite turned his attention to Kimiko.  
"You are a new ghost, just recently in fact." He leaned into his fingers.  
Kimiko jerked.  
"Sort of, I guess you could say that." She twirled her flaming white hair around her finger.  
"You are very powerful for a new ghost." Frostbite observed.  
"It was only a couple of weeks ago. I'm only half dead after all." Kimiko whispered quietly.  
Frostbite went ridge.  
"Another halfa? How?"  
Kimiko bite her lip.  
"My dad his name is Vlad Masters, I guess you'd know him as Plasmius."  
Frostbite let out a hiss of breath.  
"A natural born Halfa, I didn't think it would be possible. Although I had no idea Plasmius had a child."  
"Join the club." Kimiko muttered as she downed her glowing green drink.  
"You are a heat core like your father. You have a great burden on your shoulders. Stuck between life and death is not easy. I can imagine it wouldn't be easy for you." Frostbite told her not unkindly.  
"I can't be the only natural born Halfa in history? Weren't there others?" Kimiko pleaded.  
Frostbite looked thoughtful.  
"There have been legends of children born of humans and ghosts. Who were what you would call Halfas. Extremely rare, the only ones that are known to exist know are Phantom, Plasmius and now you."  
"Only us? That's it?" Kimiko asked.  
"Only you three." Frostbite nodded.

**This is a line break.**

"They made a shrine of me? I don't no wether to be flattered or creeped out." Danny whispered to his friends. It was a cave with beautiful glowing blue drawings depicting Danny defeating the ghost king.  
"It least they look awesome." Tucker shrugged.  
"It is my hope that our tribute documenting your great deed pleases you." Frostbite grinned proudly.  
"Yeah it's awesome, thank you." Danny blushed.  
"But we're sort of lost and-"  
"Wonderful!" Frostbite ran off motioning for the teens to follow him.  
"Did he just say it was wonderful that we're lost?" Sam frowned.  
"Yep." Danny flew after Frostbite who lead then to a room filled with treasures and strange things. Frostbite stopped in front of a golden chest.  
The yeti opened it placing his ice hand onto the chest. It clicked open, frostbite pulled out a glowing old scroll.  
"This is the infinmap." Frostbite hold the scroll up reverently in the air.  
"Infinmap?" The teens ask confused.  
"We have guarded it for millennia. It is a map of the ghost zone." Frostbite explained.  
"And any entrance or exit to the ghost zone."  
"Any entrance? I thought my parents and Vlad's portals were the only entrances?" Danny frowned.  
"They have the only non-natural permeant portals." Kimiko rolled her eyes. One would think the son of two ghost hunters would know this.  
"Your world has many natural portals and hot spots that portals are concentrated. The infinmap will take you to any portal that will take you anywhere, anytime, any world. For example the Bermuda Triangle. There are portals that open and close there all the time."  
"That explains all of the disappearances over the years, anything that goes in. Doesn't come out." Sam snapped her fingers.  
"Sometimes people do find their way back. But not often." Frostbite tells them. "But not necessarily to where they came from. The ghost zone is constantly shifting, opening random portals from all sorts of places and times. But usually only for a short time, then closing could be for ten minutes or could be forever. In the wrong hands this map could be dangerous." Frostbite rolled up the map.  
"So that's why I will take you home."  
"Wow thanks!" The teens cheer.  
"So how does it work?" Danny asks curiously.  
"The map can read your minds. Simply put your hands on the map and think of where you want to go and the map will take you there." Frostbite let go of the map to grab his cape.  
"So if I say take us home it'll-" Danny didn't finish as he, Sam, Tucker and Kimiko felt a violent jerk and zoomed away at neck break speed. In seconds they were in Danny's parents' lab.  
A black ring formed around Kimiko traveling up and down. Danny's white ring transformed him back into his human form.  
"So what should we do with it?" Kimiko took the scroll setting it down on a table.  
"Take it back to Frostbite." Sam put her hands on her hips.  
"After we check it out a little bit." Danny lifted it off the table.  
"Besides who's going to know?" Tucker grins as he wraps an arm around Danny's shoulders.  
"I don't know this is a seriously powerful object, maybe we shouldn't mess with it." Kimiko nervously leans back.  
"Yeah." Sam looks at the map.  
"Come on I know you two are just as curious as us. Will use for an hour then take it back to Frostbite." Danny unrolled the map.  
"We will give it back just after we check it out." Tucker says in a sly voice.  
Kimiko and Sam look at each other.  
"Fine." They agree together, they weren't willing to admit it but they wanted to see what the map could do.

**This is a line break.**

Vlad frowned at his chest board.  
His cat Maddie rubbed against his ankle. Heave forbid Daniel ever found out, least the boy never let him live it down. Vlad couldn't promise he won't shoot an ectoblast the brat to his smug little face.  
He glanced at his cell, Kimiko hadn't answered any of his calls. Vlad began pacing again.  
"Relax Vlad, I'm sure Kimiko is fine. Just having to much fun with Daniel and his friends." Vlad rubbed his temples. What was one suppose to so in this sort of situation? Did he kept calling? Try that infernal texting? Call Maddie and Jack? Fly over to check up on the children?  
Vlad paused.  
Or he could just look at the spying cameras he hadn't gotten around to taking down yet at Fenton works. Vlad sat down on his couch grabbing his tv remote.  
Quickly flipping to the channels to his network. Punching in the code on his remote.  
Vlad squirmed guilty.  
"I'll take them down. Just what if something happens like a lab accident, or Jack choking or a fire. Or an attack?" Vlad clutched his forehead.  
"I'll just see if Kimiko is alright and then go back to my game of chess."  
Vlad flipped threw the cameras. Living room, no.  
Kitchen, no one.  
Ops center, no teens.  
Danny's room, zilch.  
"Where in the Packer's are those children?!" Vlad stood up, a chill running down his spine.  
The lab camera flicked on the screen. Vlad sighed with relief.  
There they were.  
Daniel and Kimiko in their ghost forms. The teens were gathered around a map. Vlad's eyes widen not just any map. The map, the infinmap.  
"It can't be. The infinmap does exist." Vlad's pride was itching he had been searching for the map for years and had never found it. But Daniel and his little friends had.  
"Drat, this isn't good. Four teenagers with one of the ghost zone most powerful objects." Vlad groaned he stopped as he thought accrued to him.  
"I told Kimiko not to enter the Ghost zone!"  
Vlad yelled as he jumped up off the couch.  
"That young lady is grounded!"

**This is a line break.**

"Okay so we mess around with the map for a couple of hours then take it back to Frostbite." Danny looked down at the map.  
"See Sam, Kim, no problem." Tucker waved his hand.  
"Okay Infinmap take us to- wait where do we want to go?" Danny asked.  
"Uh I don't know anywhere in GZ fine with-" Tucker didn't finish as all four were sucked into the Ghost Zone. They flew over a random river. The river looked like smoke, with slivers of glowing sliver and green. It looked like glossy cloth stretched over the long space.  
"Hey the map says this is call the river Styx. Do you think it's the same river as the Greek myth? I didn't even know the Ghost zone had rivers." Sam pointed to the mythic river.  
"It looks so creepy but beautiful. But really, really creepy." Tucker's glasses reflected the light of the river.  
They kept on going flying threw a red rocked canon. White spikes ran along the walls.  
"This is creepy, the map says this is carnivorous canon. The entire place is one big mouth." Kimiko looked nauseated.  
They kept flying the teen gripped the map nervously as the giant mouth closed behind them. They stopped on a purple and green triangle portal.  
"Let's check it out." Tucker stared into the portal.  
"It's not on the path. Remember what Frostbite said? He said not to leave the path." Sam warned.  
"It's only for a couple seconds or two. We'll be fine. In and out before it closes." Kimiko was enthralled by the ghost zone. She wanted to see everything. She flew into the portal. Her legs forming a tail.  
They appeared underneath a bed.  
"Are you sure there are no monsters under my bed?" A high pitched voice of a boy squeaked.  
"Now Billy, remember what president Roosevelt said." The mother places a comforting hand on her son's shoulders. "We have nothing to be afraid expect fear itself."  
"Actually it's nothing to fear expect fear itself." Danny corrected as he phased his head up threw the bed.  
Kimiko snicker as the mother and Son screamed in terror.  
The portal closed after them.  
"Great going." Sam lectured.  
Kimiko interrupted.  
"That was hilarious!" She bent over laughing her head off.  
"Danny scared that kid for life." Sam scolded.  
"I just wanted to make sure that mom didn't mess up the one historical quote I actually know." Danny opened the map back up.  
"Who's up for another portal?"  
The map glowed up at the words.  
"Quick grab on!"  
Sam, Tucker and Kimiko grabbed the map just in time. They traveled threw a portal into clock tower.  
"Whoa, that's better than a roller coaster." Kimiko held her head in her hands.  
"So where are we?" Tucker looked around.  
"Only one way to find out." Danny grabbed Sam and phased threw the wall invisible.  
Tucker and Kimiko snickered.  
"Love birds."  
"They are so in denial." Kimiko grabbed Tucker and followed Danny.  
"Cool it's thanksgiving!" Tucker cheered as he saw the pilgrims walking around going about their business.  
"No this is Salem, Massachusetts. Back in the 1600's the people used to burn anyone who was different, forward thinking, or not agreeing with what everyone did or just someone they didn't like." Sam crossed her invisible arms and lectured again.  
"They burned my great, great, great, great, great grand aunt for being a witch."  
"Yeah trail by fire and all that. Let's go this time period sucked." Kimiko agreed. "Seriously let's go before they burn us."  
She shivered. The green smoke emptied out of her nose and mouth.  
"I feel something's wrong lets leave now."  
A crowd of villagers stormed around a pole throwing sticks around it. A scarecrow tied to the pole the villagers burning and scream at it.  
The teens felt sick.  
The mayor held up an hour glass filled with sand.  
"Good job Joshua that was our best time yet."  
"I'm a bit of a pyromaniac myself but that's going way to far." Tucker's voice shook frighten at the prospect that these people were training to burn people alive.  
"Let's bail, Kimiko's right. This place is dangerous." Danny muttered.  
"It is indeed. Pleasure to meet the the second Halfa defeater of Pariah Dark. No doubt you've heard about me from my little pet." A sinister voice hissed from behind them.  
Kimiko froze.  
"Jazsal." She whispered.  
The teens turned to look at the demon. Kimiko was shocked to see a great change from his last appearance. His long black hair pulling back into a low ponytail.  
His eyes were bright, looking like hell fire itself. His paper white skin pearly, the holes for the sewn eyes and mouth were there but not as bloody as before. He was wearing a expensive looking suit for pilgrim times.  
"W-what do you want?" Danny was shaking. He had never felt anything that evil before. It was frightening.  
"What? Just because I'm a demon that means I can't be polite and say hello to my favorite Halfas?" Jazsal says in mock innocent. His hand twirled around Kimiko's fiery hair. Tucker cringed away.  
"I knew my little spit fire would be a heat core just her old man. How is your father by the way? I hear he's doing well making himself know as the ghost zone's most dangerous. After me of course." Kimiko couldn't move, she froze up. Tucker stiffened scrambling to keep ahold of Kimiko to stay in the air.  
"What are you doing to me?" She bit out.  
"Nothing much dearest just making sure you can't interfere. You children have something I want." Jazsal cooed.  
"The Infinmap." Danny hugged the map close to him.  
"No way am I handing it over to you."  
"Hmm to bad, now I have to be mean." Jazsal grabbed Sam dropping her in the middle of the crowd of pilgrims.  
"Sam!" All three teens shouted.  
Jazsal grin showing off his sharp teeth. He dived for the Mayor's body.  
The Mayor's eyes flashed red-orange before returning to their normal color.  
"Don't just stand there fools, grab the witch." Jazsal drawled using the Mayor's voice.  
"Let me go!" Sam punched and kicked the pilgrims away from her.  
"Witch!" The villagers crowed. "We caught a witch!"  
"Look at what this whore is wearing! So indecent." A stuffy woman yelled pointing at Sam's bare midriff and short skirt.  
"A she-devil come to tempt us. Burn her! Burn her I say!" A mob formed bigger than before.  
"Humans. All I had to do was shout witch and they do all the work for me." Jazsal smirked, the mayor's face twisted looking otherworldly.  
Scythes, pick forks, shovels, pick axes and torches. The crowd crowing for Sam's blood.  
"What do you think you are doing!" An authoritative voice rang out.  
Everyone froze.  
Vlad threw off a cloak.  
"D-V-Vlad?" Kimiko's jaw dropped.  
"Wait how did you find us?" Danny started at Vlad floating above the crowd now drawling the attention to the three floating people in the sky above them.  
"Hey! Did you not take out the spy cameras in my house?!" Danny glared.  
Vlad coughed.  
"It doesn't matter, how I found you just be grateful that I found you."  
"Fruit loop." Danny muttered half heartily pointing accusingly at Vlad.  
"I'm going to be set on fire over here. Some help please!" Sam struggled as the men tied her to the stake.  
"I'm not a witch! Oh wait 1600's. Hurry up guys!"  
Danny shoved the scroll into Tucker's hands.  
"Here hold this and turn on your spectral defector." Danny ordered.  
Tucker nodded.  
Kimiko set him on the ground.  
"The witch has summoned Sprits to do her bidding. Stand back I Johnson Fenton Nightengale greatest hunter of the weird shall vanquish these demons." A giant burly man that looked closely related to Danny's father wearing a bright orange shirt jumped out from behind a building. The basket filled with strange roses smoked with red smoke.  
Johnson threw a ring of the flowers around Sam and the Mayor.  
"Flowers?" Danny scoffed.  
"No!" Vlad and Kimiko shouted at the same time.  
"Daniel those are Blood blossoms!" Vlad's warning came to late. Danny hit the flower barrier and shrieked in pain. Jazsal was sweating and glassy eyed.  
"These flowers vanquish spooks and help stop their possession of poor folk." Johnson popped a flower into his mouth.  
"And salt, holy water, exterzisms will get rid of ghost and demons."  
Jazsal snarled at Johnson as he announced loudly the last bit.  
John snuck up behind Kimiko to push her into the ring.  
The three supernatural beings screeched in pain and agony.  
"Daniel, Kimiko!" Vlad shouted struggling to stay in his human form and stay up right.  
"Foley eat the flowers! Do it now!" Vlad orders.  
Tucker jumped into action.  
"I'm only eating these plant because I love you guys. Not that creepy demon though." Tucker stuffed the flowers into his mouth. Jazsal was in to much pain to reply.  
Vlad transformed ignoring the pain to incapacitate the villagers and Johnson. Vlad duplicating himself to grab each teen flew away. Jazsal recovering quickly chasing after them. He gripped Tucker's arm, hand on the Map.  
They all felt a pop and ended up in a dark fiery floating temple. Jazsal cackled.  
"Now isn't this familiar."  
Vlad and his duplicates surrounded the children.  
"Oh so parental Vladimir. I never thought you'd be the father type." Jazsal shifted his body smoky growing to twice his size.  
"Begond Jazsal, before I destroy you." Vlad threaten.  
The teens shook in terror at Jazsal's new form.  
"You should be thanking me Vladimir, with out me you would have never found out about Kimiko."  
"You bastard! You mean when you murdered my mother!" Kimiko screamed.  
"Don't be that way darling. I was just hungry nothing personal. I do feel bad at your mother's death. Just think you could've had a younger sibling." Jazsal sighed in disappointment.  
Vlad gripped Kimiko's arm to stop her from lunging at Jazsal.  
"Vlad, Vlad, my angry little boy." Jazsal bared his teeth in a grin.  
"Where's all that envy? Anger? Jealousy? Hate? Have you gone soft? Do think that little Kimiko can fill the hole? Can make you a better man?"  
Vlad froze.  
"You're just like me Vladimir. You're like a son to me. You are a monster like me. You can't escape it. You belong to be me! You all belong to me!" Jazsal's eyes flash.  
"Shut up! My father is a good man. He's nothing like you!" Kimiko shouted.  
"Vladimir can't lie to himself." Jazsal smiles softly.  
"No, he's not like you where it matters." Danny's acid green eyes burn.  
"Far-Frozen!" Tucker yelled.  
The icy wind and snow hit their faces. Frostbite rushed forward.  
"Thank goodness you are all right. Picked up a guest I see." He eyed Vlad cautiously.  
"Sorry things with the map got out of hand. We kinda of wanted to explore the zone. Sorry we should have brought it right back." The teens looked at their feet.  
"No harm done, Great one. Although it can lead you where you want to go it sometimes leads you where it feels you need to go." Frostbite held out a hand for the map. Tucker placed it quickly into his hand.  
"How was bringing us to Jazsal's lair the place we needed to go?" Danny frowned.  
The yetis all gasp in horror.  
"Jazsal! Free? That's impossible he was re-imprisoned after he was defeated by Plasmius. That was the reason they let Plasmius live. They were going to destroy him for being an aberration." Frostbite's ear were flat against his head.  
"Who imprisoned Jazsal first?" Vlad asks.  
"The ghost council and the Ghost king. He is old, as old as the Ghost realm. Very dangerous last of his kind, not many left. And the ones that are will have nothing to do with him." Frostbite says slowly.  
"I must inform my allies of Jazsal's return.  
"Is this guy really that bad that he scares a bunch of big Yetis like you?" Sam hugs her arms to her.  
"Yes he is, now we must leave it is not safe for any of you." Frostbite unrolled the map.  
"Plasmius's portal."  
They zoomed away.  
Vlad's lab was cleaner and more organized then the Fentons' lab.  
Frostbite directed his gaze to Vlad.  
"Find books on demon lore, I do not have the time today to explain it to you. The great one's father will have the books and the old ways to ward against the demon." Frostbite turned to Danny.  
"Great one, I will see you soon. You will have need of my help with your ice core soon. And be on your guard Jazsal is a master of deceit."  
Frost bite bowed.  
"It is good to see young Vladimr Plasmius is free from Jazsal's influence. It is waning on you. Your daughter is good for you. Good luck my friends. Until we met again. Far Frozen." The yeti was gone.  
Vlad turned to the teens.  
"No more ghost zone for anyone unless with me."  
The teens nodded.  
"I'm sorry Vlad I shouldn't have taken Kimiko in the ghost zone with me with out your permission." Danny apologizes.  
"No. I'm sorry I should have listen to you. It was dangerous, and I knew better. I just feel so at home there, like I belong. I've never felt like that before." Kimiko wipes at her eyes.  
Vlad's face softens.  
"I will make an effort to bring the two of you." He nodded at Danny And Kimiko.  
"Into the ghost zone for visits. When I was a new Halfa I always ached for something. And it took many year for me to find out what it was. Ghosts need the zone, and to a certain extent so do we. It's stupid that with two working portals that we don't use them safely of course." Vlad sighed.  
"Thanks Vlad." Kimiko says shyly.  
"I wouldn't want either of you to suffer from lack of knowledge let I had to." Vlad pats Kim on the shoulder.  
"I need a bathroom, I just ate a bunch of weird flowers." Tucker grimaced.  
Vlad paled. Children even when they're teenagers you have to deal with that sort of thing.  
"Down the hall to the left."  
Tucker tore down the hall.  
"Hey I'm hungry, can we order pizza?" Danny turns to Vlad.  
Vlad raises an eyebrow.  
"I want veggie please." Sam smiled.  
"Oh I want meat lovers!" Tucker shouted from down the hall.  
"Philly cheese steak pizza!" Danny grinned.  
"Spinach Alfredo calzone would be awesome." Kimiko looks at Vlad with puppy eyes.  
"You all want an entire pizza for each of you?" Vlad was shocked.  
"Yeah!" Came the resounding call.  
"What about your parents? Aren't you going to have dinner with them?" Vlad frowned.  
"No I called them hours ago that I was hanging with friends. Besides I'm tried." Sam shrugged.  
"Yeah my Dad, didn't have a problem with me eating dinner here." Danny yawned.  
"Well I suppose the more the merrier." Vlad pulled out his cell.

**This is a line break.**

It was times like these that Vlad wondered why he had ever wanted children. Tucker was stuffing his face with his meaty pizza. Arguing mouth full with Sam about the merits of a all meat diet. Sam was flicking ice at the meat loving boy. Daniel was waving his pizza around as he talked about space to Kimiko.  
Vlad hadn't known that Daniel wanted to travel to space. Perhaps if he told the ghosts to back off Daniel, Kimiko and their classmates would benefit for their education.  
Food for thought.  
Kimiko at least had some manners. Sumiko had made sure that Kimiko has manners. If Vlad had eaten like that his parents would've sent him  
To his room with no dinner.  
Vlad bit into his slice of pizza having already been by the teenagers teased about cutting his pizza and eating it with a fork.  
Tucker's and Sam's phones rang.  
Vlad felt his mouth twitch in disapproval, cell phones at the diner table.  
Sam groaned at her parents threw the phone. Tucker laughed into his.  
They both hung up.  
"My parents are coming to pick me up." Tucker then tore into his pizza again only two slices left.  
"My parents want me to stay over forever. They want Kimiko to become my new best friend. They're such snobs. The monument they found out she was your daughter." Sam pointed to Vlad.  
"They want me to make sure our family ties become closer. I'm pretty sure if Kimiko was a boy they'd already be pushing for marriage." Sam rolled her eyes.  
"You know if you want to mess with them. I could tell them I'm totally gay for you." Kimiko smirked.  
Sam grinned in return.  
"That would be pretty awesome. I can just see the looks on their faces. But then again they still can't tell my grandma likes women after all these years. So thanks but no."  
"Oh hey, is that why your grandma always watching those miss America pageants with me?" Tucker asked threw a mouthful of food.  
But it sounded more like.  
"Oh vey, isthat khy your grandga always watchting Miss Americai pageas wuth me?"  
"Yes Tucker that's why Grandma watches those stupid pageants with you." Sam says drily.  
"Oh I never knew. Cool no wonder she always picks the winners." Tucker says in wonder.  
"Your parents are that clueless?" Vlad takes a sip from his glass.  
"Oh yeah, that or they just pretend otherwise. They don't like when life isn't like their sixties prefect dream land." Sam shrugged.  
"Hmm that's rough buddy." Kimiko patted Sam's back.  
"My parents are just happy I have friends. I think they're worried I'll marry my Mac computer." Tucker said this time with no food in his mouth.  
"But you already are." Danny teased playfully to Tucker.  
"Hey I love all of my tech equally. I could never marry just one." Tucker grinned.  
Tucker's phone beeped.  
"See ya at school tomorrow, my parents are here. Thanks for the food V-man." Tucker waved as he walked out of the room.  
"V-man? I should have never let Jack tell anyone my old nick-name." Vlad ran a hand down his face.  
Sam, Danny and Kimiko snickered.  
"Well I'm flying home, Sam you want a ride?" Danny's white rings traveled up and down.  
"Yeah, bye Kimiko, Bye V-Man. Thanks for the food." Sam and Danny flew away and into the wall.  
"That was sort of fun expect for the evil demon part." Kimiko sighed.  
"Oh yes that reminds me you're grounded. I talked to Jack and he assured me that cleaning the lab is a suitable punishment." Vlad looks at Kimiko.  
Who pouts but nods.  
"Yeah okay that's fair." Kimiko pause before gathering her courage.  
"Jazsal is wrong, you're not like him. He's just messing with you."  
Vlad leans back.  
"Thank you Kimiko that means a lot to me that you think that."  
Kimiko shifts in her seat. Then quickly hugs Vlad and then sprinted away as fast as she could.  
Kimiko slumped maybe family hugs shouldn't be so awkward. They'd have to work on that.

**End of chapter 6**


End file.
